Letting Her In
by YesIWriteForFun
Summary: Jace Lightwood is an aloof and mysterious loner. Clary Fray wants to know how he can be that way and still be such a womanizer. When mutual friends bring them together will Clary be able to solve the puzzle that is Jace Lightwood? Will Jace finally let someone in?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So, I've read a lot of TMI fanfics where Clary is broken and Jace swoops in and fixes her, but in the story it really seems the other way around. I decided to write a story where Clary really has to fix Jace up when he's broken. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or it's characters. Only the plot and dialogue of this specific story is mine.**

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Chapter 1:

"Isabelle Lightwood likes me."

I peer around my locker door to look at my best friend, Simon Lewis. "Excuse me?" I say.

Simon grins. "Isabelle Lightwood likes me."

I stare at him blankly for a few moments, then burst into a fit of laughter. "You can't be serious," I choke out between laughs.

Simon narrows his eyes at me. "I am serious!"

"Simon, no offense, but she is the hottest and most popular girl in school. She doesn't date a guy for more than two weeks! When she walks down the hallway, you can practically see the trail of drool and broken hearts she leaves behind. And you, my friend, are classified as a nerd in the modern day social rankings of the American high school. Why do you think she likes you?"

Simon smiles. "Okay first of all, I'm a geek, not a nerd. Second, she told her brother Alec, who told Magnus Bane-you know, Alec's boyfriend?-who told Aline, who _confirmed_ it with Isabelle, then told me."

I shake my head and close my locker. "Oh, honey." I give Simon a look of pity.

"What?" he exclaims as we make our way to English class.

"Have you learned nothing from television and movies? This is the classic 'he-said-she-said' situation, and rumors or stories told in that fashion never end up being true."

Simon grumbles incoherently while we take our seats. I'm about to launch into a lecture explaining why he would probably get hurt even if it was true, when the high-heeled beauty herself walks in. She walks right by our desks and flips her hair over her shoulder. "Hi, Simon," she purrs. With that and a wink, she's gone.

I pick my jaw up off the floor and turn towards Simon. His jaw is open so wide he's probably more likely to catch a hummingbird than flies. "Okay," I mumble. "Maybe she _does_ like you."

Simon snaps his mouth shut. He turns toward me and smiles. "Told you so."

I'm standing at Simon's locker at the end of the day, waiting for him to grab his stuff so I can drive him home. Simon seems a little dazed, and frankly I don't blame him. At lunch, Isabelle sat with us and flirted with him the entire time. She also flirted with him every time they were in a five foot radius of each other, which was at least once every period.

"I think I failed that math test," Simon says as he shuts his locker.

I laugh. "I'm not surprised-Isabelle was staring at you practically the whole period!"

Simon blushes. "Yeah, I noticed."

"Simon!"

"Speak of the devil," I mutter as we turn around to see Isabelle walking towards us.

"Uh, hi, Isabelle," Simon stammers.

She sighs in relief as she reaches us. Smiling she says, "I'm _so _glad I caught you! I was wondering if you wanted a ride home? Jace has detention and Alec left with Magnus, so I was going to drive home alone. Then I saw you and figured I would see if you wanted a ride…?"

Simon glances nervously at me. As flattered as I am that he doesn't want to blow me off, he'd be stupid to turn down a ride home from the girl he's had a crush on since middle school. I smile at him and nod.

Simon smiles back at Isabelle. "Sure, that sounds great. Thanks, Isabelle."

Isabelle's smile brightens. "Izzy. Call me Izzy."

Simon nods. "Izzy.

I smile at their retreating backs as they walk away. I have to admit that they make a cute couple. "Bye, Clary!" Isabelle calls over her shoulder.

I laugh lightly. "Bye!" As I head out of the school toward my car I pass a classroom that must be acting as detention for the day-the angry looking kids are a dead giveaway. Suddenly I'm brought back to Isabelle's explanation of why she was going to be driving home alone. I don't know her older brother Alec very well-he's a senior and I'm a junior-but I do know his boyfriend Magnus from art class. Magnus is a really nice guy, so I imagine that Alec is as well. Plus, he seems very quiet from what I've seen of him.

She also mentioned her brother Jace. He's the same age as us and I'm pretty sure he was adopted by the Lightwoods when he was very young. Even though I share many classes with him, I don't know much about him. I've heard rumors that he's quite the womanizer, but I've never even seen him talk to anyone other than teachers and his siblings. He always walks down the hallways alone with his head held high. The only expression I've ever seen on his face is one of indifference. Jace is aloof and a mystery. The more I think about him, the more my curiosity gets the better of me-what is up with Jace Lightwood?

I'm so lost in my own thoughts that I don't see the person walking towards me until I run into them. "_Oof_," I grunt. I look up and have to stifle a laugh. I was so caught up in my thoughts about Jace Lightwood that I ran into Jace Lightwood. Oh, the irony.

Because of my height-or, lack thereof-my head hit Jace's chest when we ran into each other, so I'm sure it hurt me more than it hurt him. Nonetheless, I still feel bad. I'm about to start apologizing profusely when Jace brushes past me mumbling, "Sorry." He hadn't looked up from his iPod through the whole exchange.

As I watch Jace walk toward the detention room I'm filled with a sudden hope that Simon and Isabelle get close to each other. I know that if they do, I'll be hanging out with them quite a bit because where Simon goes, I go. I also have a strong suspicion that where Isabelle goes, Jace goes.

Basically, me figuring out exactly who Jace Lightwood is and what is up with him depends on Simon's flirting skills.

Shit.

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**I'm not going to continue this story if no one likes it, so please review and convince me to continue! If I don't get at least a few reviews in about a week I'm just going to trash this story. So...review! Please!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWrtieForFun **


	2. Chapter 2

**It looks like at least a few of you want me to continue this story, which is awesome! But, if I'm being honest I probably would have continued this story even if only one person liked it ;) Thank you guys for your support and don't be afraid to provide constructive criticism and/or suggestions for what you would like to see! I'll try to update at least once a week, but I can't promise anything. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, though I really wish I had thought of it first!**

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**Chapter 2:**

I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn around and strain my neck to look up at the girl standing in front of me. "Isabelle," I say with a nod.

She smiles. "Clary, how many times do I have to tell you-call me Izzy."

I nod again. "Okay, _Izzy._ What's up?" I have to admit that I've grown to like Isabelle. Everyday this week she's been sitting with Simon and I at lunch and she's been with us just about every free moment we have. It's Friday now and over the past week I've come to realize that there is more to Isabelle than good looks and heartbreak. And really, her and Simon _do_ make an adorable couple.

Isabelle sits in the desk next to me. She wrings her hands together and looks around nervously. Uh-oh. If Isabelle Lightwood is actually _nervous,_ then this can't be good.

"Spit it out, Izzy."

She takes a deep breath. "Okay, so I'm not really the dating kind of girl, in case you haven't heard the stories. I'm more of the 'make-out-at-a-party-then-never-talk-to-them-again' kind of girl, but Simon isn't someone I want to do that with. I really like Simon, and I don't want to break his heart. So, I figured I would give this whole dating thing a try. The only problem is, I've never been on a real date and I think you and I both know that Simon isn't exactly a dating expert."

I nod along to Izzy's convoluted story. I wait for her to continue, but she doesn't. "Okay, no offense, but I don't really see what this has to do with me."

Izzy bites her lip. "Well, I was wondering if you would want to go on a double date with us." I open my mouth to protest, but she stops me. "I already asked Simon and he says it's a great idea. We're going out tomorrow for Chinese food. Please, Clary? Won't you help us out?"

"Izzy, who would I be going out with? It's not like I can-"

She cuts me off with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Oh I already found a date for you."

I don't like the sounds of that. "Who?"

"My brother Jace."

* * *

As I fidget in front of the mirror and wait for Simon to pick me up, I again wonder why I let myself get dragged into this. I know that this is technically what I wanted, but that doesn't make it any better. When I had envisioned getting to know Jace and figuring out why he acts the way he does, I had pictured us starting with a friendly hello when I saw him at his house then maybe working our way up to small talk. I had _not_ pictured going on a double date with him. Do you know what it's like to go on a date with someone who doesn't talk or make eye contact with you? Well, I don't yet but I can imagine it is its own separate level of hell. Fun.

My phone goes off, effectively interrupting my thoughts. It's a text from Simon saying that he is outside. With a groan I take my time walking outside. I spot Simon's car easily and approach it as if it is a wounded animal. I pause outside the door and take a deep breath. I guess I can't put this off any longer. Stealing myself, I fling the door open and slide into the back seat. Isabelle and Simon are sitting in the front holding hands. Jace is sitting in the back seat beside me. He's staring out the window and doesn't turn around once as I get in the car.

"Clary! I love your top!" Isabelle is practically oozing with excitement from the front seat.

I glance down at my top. It's a black t-shirt with green lettering that says, 'Earth without art is just eh'. "Uh, thanks." I doubt that Isabelle even really saw what I was wearing. She's so nervous and excited she probably wouldn't have noticed if I got in the car naked.

I turn toward the golden haired boy sitting beside me. "Hi," I say. "I'm Clary."

Jace doesn't turn around, but he grumbles something that sounds like, "I know." I sigh. This is going to be a long night.

"Jace," Isabelle chastises. "Be nice."

Jace turns toward me and rolls his eyes. "Why, _hello_, Clary! I'm Jace! How are you? My, you look _ravishing_ tonight!" He rolls his eyes again and looks back out the window.

Despite my best efforts, I can't help the smile that plays at my lips. Then Isabelle says, "That's better." When I hear that, my smile turns into a full out laughing fit. Simon and Isabelle don't get what's so funny, but I see Jace smiling in his reflection in his window. Okay, maybe tonight won't be _that_ long.

* * *

Wrong. I was very, very wrong. Throughout the whole dinner, Jace doesn't say one word to me. I try to make small talk-ask about what classes he takes, what music he likes. I even resort to, "Nice weather we're having." The biggest response I get is a grunt. He sits there playing with his phone all night and won't talk to me.

Simon and Isabelle are too caught up in their little love bubble to notice, let alone help me out. After a while I give up on conversation and start counting ceiling tiles. I count them six times and it's only ten minutes later. I sigh and try to think of something else to do. I spy a bunch of pens sitting at the register. I mumble some excuse and get up to grab one. No one had noticed I got up. I pull out a napkin from the dispenser and start to sketch something. It's not very good, but it distracts me long enough that I don't die of boredom before our food comes.

I look up as the waiter sets my plate down. Jace is staring at the sketch on my napkin. He must sense me staring at him because we quickly lock eyes, then he drops his gaze back down to his plate. I sigh. At least I have food to distract me.

The whole ride home, Simon and Isabelle whisper and giggle back and forth. I would think it was cute, if they hadn't dragged me into the date from hell. Let's just say, they're both going to get an ear-full Monday morning.

When Simon pulls up in front of my building, he and Izzy barely glance my way to say good bye. I mumble a good bye back in their direction and climb out of the car. I'm about to shut the door, when I hear a quiet, "Good night, Clary," come from the back seat.

As I climb the stairs of my building, I decide that, that one statement made the date from hell worth it.

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**Like I said before, I will try my best to update at least once a week, but if I don't please don't come running with pitchforks :) This is my first ever fanfic so please review and let me know how I'm doing!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, all! I'm glad everyone is enjoying my story and thinks I have a good idea! :) I just wanted to let everyone know that I am fully aware that these first few chapters have been short, a bit fast paced and lacking Clace time. As much as I hate having those three things in my story, they are a necessary evil in order to set things up for a good story. But, rest assured this should change soon! I promise I will start giving you more Clace with more details soon enough! For now, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3:**

I sigh into the phone and prop my feet up on my couch's armrest. "You _seriously_ owe me one, Simon."

Simon actually has the guts to laugh. "Come on, Clary. It couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"He said about two words to me all night and made eye contact about once," I practically growl into the receiver.

Now it's Simon's turn to sigh. "Look, Clary, I'm sorry you had a bad night. Really I am, but Isabelle and I are glad that you came. We do owe you one. You helped make our first date not awkward."

I grunt something that vaguely resembles, 'You're welcome.' I am glad that Isabelle and Simon had a good time, and truth be told, the date wasn't the worst thing ever. I mean, I did get a free meal out of it.

"If it makes you feel any better, Isabelle said that Jace couldn't stop talking about you the whole rest of the night."

I sit up in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, but don't say anything because I wasn't supposed to tell you."

"Huh. That's so weird. He seemed like he didn't even know I was there last night."

"Clarissa Fray, if I didn't know any better I would say that you're interested in Jace." I can practically hear the cheesy grin in Simon's voice.

I roll my eyes even though I know that he can't see. "You're right Simon, I am madly in love with the boy who won't talk to anyone other than his siblings, hooks up with a new girl every week, and walks around like he thinks he's above everyone else. You caught me."

Simon laughs. "Chill, Clary, I was just kidding."

Simon may know I'm not madly in love with Jace, but he was sort of right about me being interested in him. I can't help but admit that I'm sort of fascinated with Jace and his unusual behavior. I'm about to make another sarcastic remark to Simon when my front door bangs shut. I glance behind me and see my mom walking in. "Simon, I have to go. I'll call you later, okay? Bye."

I faintly hear Simon saying goodbye through the receiver as I hang up. I toss it next to me on the couch and stand up, walking out of our living room. "Hey, Mom," I say as I lean against a nearby wall.

She stands up from taking her shoes off and blows a strand of hair out of her eyes. Hair the same red as mine, eyes the same shade of green as mine. "Hi, honey." She walks into the kitchen and starts pulling out the ingredients to make a sandwich. I follow her and plop down in a chair at the table.

"How's the store looking?" My mom owns a bookstore down the street with her long term boyfriend, Luke. My father left before I was born and I haven't ever met him. Not that I care-he sounds like an asshole, from what I've heard.

My mom shrugs and doesn't look up from the sandwich she's making. "We should be turning a profit this month, so that's a plus." She glances up at me. "Do you want one?" she asks, gesturing toward her now made sandwich.

I shake my head. "No, I have my leftovers from last night."

My mom smiles and sits down across from me. "That's right. How did your date go?"

I roll my eyes. "I don't think you can call it a date when both parties were quite obviously forced into it."

She winces theatrically. "That bad, huh?"

I laugh lightly. "Well, it wasn't good."

My mother laughs as well and shakes her head ruefully. "What a shame. If I remember him correctly from the Lightwood's Christmas party, he is quite the looker."

I choke on the water I'm drinking. "Mom!" I cough. "He's like, twenty years younger than you!"

My mom rolls her eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't appreciate an attractive person when I see one."

I groan and put my head in my hands. "_Please_ stop. Seriously."

My mom stands up and squeezes my shoulder with a laugh. "You'll see once you're older."

I groan into my hands again.

Just then Luke comes in and walks straight into the kitchen. I hear his loud footsteps stop abruptly and he says, "What happened to Clary?"

My mom laughs and I snap my head up. I point an accusing finger at my mom. "She has been tormenting me by telling me she thinks my classmates are hot!"

Luke laughs and gives my mom a kiss on her cheek as she rolls her eyes. "Clary, stop being so dramatic. All I said was that the boy you went on a date with was attractive."

I groan and stand up. "I'm going to my room."

I hear my mom and Luke laughing all the way to my room until I close the door with a mild _bang!_

* * *

Monday morning I walk into school to find Isabelle standing at my locker. I furrow my brows in confusion. Simon drove to school with her today, so I know that she isn't looking for him. That means she is waiting for me. Why?

"Hey, Izzy," I say as I approach my locker.

She looks up at the sound of my voice. "Clary!" She smiles warmly at me. "How are you?"

I smile in return and start to spin my combination in. "Pretty good. What's up?" I open my locker and glance in her direction. She looks a little nervous, but mostly excited.

"You're Simon's best friend, and Simon and I are going to be getting pretty close." I finish pulling my books out and shut my locker. Together we start to walk toward our homeroom. "So, I'd really like it if we could get to know each other. I have a good feeling that we'll get along well." Izzy takes a deep breath. "What I'm getting at is, I'd like to invite you to go shopping with me tonight."

I smile. "I'd love to."

* * *

It probably takes me longer to drive up the Lightwood's driveway than it does to get to her house. "Woah," I breathe once I reach the end. Standing before me is a white mansion with big windows and six expensive looking cars parked out front. The house is nestled far, far away from the main road in a wooded area. It isn't dark out yet, but I see fancy lampposts surrounding the house that I'm sure will be turned on once the sun sets.

I park the car and take a deep breath to prepare myself to walk up to the formidable house. After a beat or two I open my door and make my way up to the front door. It's wide and it has one of those old fashioned brass knockers as well as a doorbell. I decide the doorbell is the more logical choice and press down on it. A long and elaborate melody plays. I suddenly feel self-conscious to see my used and beat up car sitting in the driveway next to all the shiny new ones. _This is Isabelle_, I remind myself. _She won't look down on you_. The front door opens and I quickly tag an, _I hope_, onto the end of that thought.

Behind the open door stands Jace. He's wearing plain jeans, a white t-shirt and his feet are bare. He looks at me blankly before turning around and yelling, "Izzy! Your friend is here!" He walks away and leaves the door open behind him.

I look around nervously. He didn't invite me in exactly, but he didn't shut the door in my face either. I shrug and step inside, then shut the door behind me. I have to stifle a gasp. The inside is even more elaborate than the outside. The entryway has vaulted ceilings and a chandelier. There's a huge staircase that I swear is just a smaller version of the one from _Titanic_ directly in front of me. To my left are a pair of French doors closed slightly so I can't see what they lead to. To my right is a modern and pristine kitchen. The kitchen is where Jace walked off to and where a woman whom I assume to be Izzy's mom is walking out of. She smiles fondly at me. "You must be Clary." She dries her hand off on a dishtowel before sticking it out towards me.

"And I would assume you're Mrs. Lightwood?" I say as I shake her hand.

She laughs breezily. "Please, call me Maryse."

I nod. "Maryse."

"Isabelle should be down soon." She glances over her shoulder. "You'll have to forgive Jace. He can come off a bit, well, rude sometimes."

I smile. "It's fine, really."

She genuinely looks relieved. "Oh, here she is."

I look over my shoulder to see Isabelle jogging down the stairs. How she does that in six inch heels is beyond me. "Hey, Clary!"

I smile. "Hey, Izzy."

She flashes a smile in her mom's direction and turns back toward me. "Ready to go?"

I nod. "Nice meeting you," I say to Maryse.

She smiles. "You too, Clary and remember that you are more than welcome here anytime."

I peek over her shoulder to see Jace leaning in the kitchen doorway and staring at us. "Bye, Jace," I call over my shoulder as Isabelle drags me out the door.

Unlike last time, the door closes behind me and I don't hear a response.

I sigh. Two steps forward and one step back is technically still progress. Right?

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**So, I'm at a bit of a crossroads here and I'd like your opinions. Should I have the next chapter be the shopping trip between Izzy and Clary, or should I skip over it so we get to the Clace scenes faster? I'm leaving the decision totally up to you guys so please review and let me know what you think! :) Also, just to clear things up, I really want this fanfic to be about Clary helping Jace, so I want her to be happy and have a great home life. That's why I kind of skipped over the whole dad issue. Anyways, review pretty please :)**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Last chapter I asked if you wanted to see the shopping trip and a few of you said you did, so here it is! Also, shoutout to percabethandclace for reviewing and giving me an idea that I may or may not use in this chapter ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or it's characters. All rights go to the talented Cassandra Clare!**

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**Chapter 4:**

Sitting with Izzy in her car, I'm suddenly reminded that I don't _really_ know her. I watch as she alternates glances between the road and the dial on the road. She blows a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and pulls her hand away. "Unless you want to get into an accident, you should probably be the one to find something on the radio," she says as she glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

I take a shaky breath and remind myself that Simon trusts her, and I trust Simon, so she must be okay. I nod. "Right." I reach out and fiddle with the dial. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Just about anything except country," Isabelle says with a nonchalant flick of her wrist.

I turn the dial a few more notches and come across a top forties station that is playing a decent song. Other than the radio, we sit in silence for a few minutes. I rack my brain for something to say before the silence becomes awkward. "So, I'm guessing you like to shop?"

"No, I hate it." Izzy flashes me a toothy smile. "But, I love clothes so I kind of have to deal with it."

I laugh, suddenly feeling much more comfortable. "I, for one, hate shopping and don't really care about clothes."

Izzy laughs as she pulls into an open parking spot. "Well, that's because you've never worn an outfit picked out by me," she says with a teasing wink.

I smile, but on the inside I'm suddenly a little scared. What did I just get myself into?

I assume that I didn't do as good of a job as I thought at covering up my unease because Isabelle suddenly laughs harder. The sound is muffled half way through as she shuts her car door. I scramble out of the car and after her as she strolls toward the entrance.

Between her head start and the severe difference in our stride lengths, I practically have to run to catch up to her. When I do reach her, she gives me a sideways look. "You should try to incorporate bits of green into your outfits-it'll make your eyes pop," she says.

Huh. Maybe this wouldn't be that bad. I have to admit that it would be nice to at least look mildly attractive. My untamed red hair, petite frame and freckles tend to make people look at me as a little kid and I would love nothing more than to change that. I voice my thoughts to Isabelle and she smiles at me.

"Clary, not everyone-" she stops and shakes her head. "I think I can change that." With that vague statement, she turns toward a store.

My face pales when I see which store she's walking towards. I hurry to catch up to her. "Um, Izzy, I think this one is all you. I can't exactly, um, afford anything in here."

Izzy laughs. "Well, then it's a darn good thing you aren't paying today."

My face pales even further. "W-what? Isabelle I can't let you-"

Isabelle moves her hand as if waving away my protests. "Nonsense. I have more money than I know what to do with. Plus, I may not like shopping for myself, but I _love_ shopping for others. But I do have one condition." I nod vigorously. "You can't complain and you have to try on everything I give you with an open mind."

I nod again. "I can handle that. Thank you."

Izzy smiles. "Anytime. Now, lets see what we can find you." She casually looks me up and down as she taps a long, manicured finger to her chin. "I don't want to get you anything too formal, because I don't think you would wear it, like, ever." She keeps talking as she browses the aisles. "But, that doesn't mean that you can't wear something that's not overly casual. Perhaps a dress that you could wear to school?"

I nod even though I know it was a rhetorical question.

Izzy doesn't respond to me and just continues walking around, occasionally plucking a few things off the racks. I have no idea how she knows my size, and frankly I'm kind of afraid to ask.

Once she has ten items-the maximum amount allowed in a dressing room-she shoves them in my arms and drags me toward a dressing room. I stumble inside and lock the door behind me. "You have to show me everything you try on!" she calls through the door.

I sigh. "Okay." I grab the first outfit. It's a skirt and shirt combination that kind of looks like it could be a dress. The skirt lays around my bellybutton and then billows out from there. It's black with a pattern on it of emerald green flowers connected by a dark green vine. The shirt gets tucked into the skirt and is plain white with a rounded, low-cut neck. I look in the mirror and am surprised by what I see. The lay of the skirt makes it appear as though I have curvy hips and the top takes advantage of the little bit of my chest it has to work with. The bit of green in the skirt does make my eyes pop and the neutral colors don't clash with my hair at all. Shockingly, the black of the skirt against my fair legs doesn't make them look ghostly, but instead makes them look pale in a delicate way, almost like snow white.

I fling open the door and Isabelle takes in the outfit with an unreadable expression. "I'll be right back," she mumbles after a minute. She comes back soon after with a short, black leather jacket. She hands it to me and I slip it on. She smiles and claps her hands together, clearly pleased with her work. "Perfect! You're getting that one."

I roll my eyes and shut the door behind me. Even though I have to laugh at Izzy's bluntness, I can't deny that this outfit is amazing. It makes me look mature and not at all like a little kid. I smile to myself as I switch to the next outfit.

I try on all the outfits and each goes the same way. I think it looks amazing and then Isabelle thinks it need one more thing to make it perfect, which she easily finds. I end up leaving the dressing room with more items than I went into it with.

Once I'm back in my normal clothes Isabelle takes all the clothes I tried on from me and practically skips up to the register. I follow her with a bit more reluctance-I still don't feel entirely comfortable with her buying clothes for me. When I see how much everything costs, I practically throw up. "Izzy-" I begin but she cuts me off with a stern look. She swipes her card and then the clerk hands her two very full bags.

"Thank you again," I say as we walk out of the store.

Isabelle rolls her eyes good naturedly. "Don't mention it. Where to next?" I watch her scan the mall like a hawk searching for prey.

I step in front of her before she can run off to another store. "Actually, I'm pretty drained. How about we get some food and call it a night?" As if awakened by the word 'food,' my stomach grumbles loudly.

Izzy laughs and I blush. "Yeah, I'm actually pretty hungry. Besides, I'm done if you're done-I just bought a ton of clothes for myself last week."

I smile and feel relieved. We make our way towards the food court. "What are you in the mood for?"

Izzy shrugs. "Whatever you want-I'm not picky."

I scan our options. "How about pizza?"

"Sounds great."

We make our way to the pizza place and order. I get a slice of meat lovers and Izzy gets a slice with pepperoni and hot peppers. When we get to the register I wave away Izzy's wallet. She starts to protest, but I cut her off. "You just bought me several new outfits. I think I can handle a slice of pizza."

Izzy laughs as I hand the cashier the money. "Thanks, Clary."

We find a seat away from a group of loud preteens. All of the awkwardness and silence from earlier is gone. Izzy and I go back and forth asking random questions about each others hobbies and families. I tell her that I love to draw and she says she takes martial arts lessons in her free time. She seems surprised that I'm so nonchalant about my dad leaving us. I shrug. "He was an ass, so why should I be sad that he's not in my life? Besides, Luke is awesome and I look at him as my father."

When I ask Izzy about her family, she shrugs. "You met most of them earlier. My mom is a lawyer and my dad is a surgeon that is rarely home. My mom has long days, but better hours than my dad. Alec is my older brother, but I think you know a bit of him through his boyfriend, Magnus, right?" I nod and take another bite of pizza. "I have a younger brother named Max that's on a play date tonight." She takes a bite of pizza and we both chew for a minute before she continues. "And you've obviously met Jace, my adoptive brother." She rolls her eyes. "I'm really sorry about that date, by the way. I know he can come off as super rude, but he's really a nice guy."

I shrug. "It's fine." I play with my straw as I contemplate how to voice my thoughts. Finally, I decide on being blunt. "What's up with him? I've only ever seen him talk to you and Alec, but I hear he's got a new girl every week." Izzy's jaw clenches and I realize how rude what I said sounded. "I'm sorry, I was just wondering. I mean, I don't know if they're rumors or-"

"They aren't rumors." Izzy visibly relaxes and shakes her head. "None of us really know how he does it. All we know is he goes out alone every Friday night and doesn't come home until Saturday morning." She shakes her head again. "We weren't sure he was with girls until we asked him where he went. He told us and we checked with the girl. He wasn't lying."

I look down at what's left of my pizza. I'm suddenly not very hungry. I don't know why, but I had hoped that the stories about Jace and all those girls were just rumors. Now that I know they aren't, my chest is filled with a dull and inexplicable ache. I don't look up as I speak to Izzy. "Why is he like that?"

Isabelle sighs and I finally look up to meet her eyes. "We don't totally know, but we're pretty sure it has to do with his past. We adopted him when he was ten, and his life before that is still kind of foggy to us. Look, Clary, I don't mean to be rude, but you should really ask him. This stuff is too personal for me to be talking about, and I don't know a lot of it anyway."

I pick at the crust of my pizza. "He wouldn't talk to me anyway."

Isabelle shakes her head with a rueful expression on her face. "I think you're wrong there, honey." I'm about to ask Izzy to elaborate, but she cuts me off. "It's getting kind of late," she says after a quick glance at her phone. "Are you ready to go?"

I nod and stand up. She takes my tray and throws it away for me since my hands are full with the bags. "Thanks again," I say.

Izzy laughs and rolls her eyes. "Stop thanking me already! But you're welcome."

On the ride home, Izzy asks me about Simon so I decide that it's totally worth the backlash from him to tell her funny stories about him growing up. When we get back to her house we sit in the car for a few extra minutes so I can finish telling her about him learning to ride a bike. He was so nervous that the whole bike shook, even with his mother holding onto it. He had screamed like a little girl when his mom let go.

After I finish the story we both step out of the car. I walk over to my car and throw the bags in the back. I lean against the door as Izzy walks over to me, still laughing. Once she's calmed down enough to breathe correctly, she throws her arms around me. "Thanks for going with me, Clary. I had so much fun!"

I laugh and hug her back. "Me too, Iz."

Izzy pulls away and smiles. "Night, Clary!"

"See you." I turn to open my door as Isabelle begins walking away. Her voice stops me midway through opening the door. "Oh, and Clary?" She calls.

"Yes?" I call back.

Even in the dark I can see a hint of a smile playing across her features. "I meant what I said about Jace. I really think he would talk to you if you gave him the chance. But he won't initiate it so…"

She lets her sentence trail off and hang in the air around us. I nod, not even sure if she can see the gesture. "Okay. Thanks."

Izzy doesn't respond, just turns around and walks toward her door. I get in my car and start to turn around-no way in hell am I backing down that super long driveway. I can just make out Izzy waving goodbye as I pull away.

For reasons unknown, I can't keep the smile off my face the whole way home.

* * *

**So, as promised the chapters are getting longer and things are slowing down and getting into more detail. I hope you all liked this chapter becuase I had a lot of fun writing it! Please please please review because I love hearing from you guys and your reviews make me so happy! Plus, if you guys review a lot and I get a really good response, it motivates me to update more quickly, but that doesn't mean I'm bribing you. Who knows, if this gets a good response tonight, I may even update again tomorrow (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Okay, maybe I'm bribing you a little ;)**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow! You guys are awesome! I've had a pretty big response since I updated last night, so I decided I would update again today! I think you guys are going to like this chapter because it has some Clace in it as well as some Sizzy and, who knows? Maybe I'll even sneak a bit of Malec in there ;) Anyway, enjoy the chapter and the early update!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own The Mortal Instruments, or it's characters-not even Jace :(**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

I wake up to an annoying buzzing sound and blindly reach my hand over to shut off my alarm clock. After it continues to make noises even though I'm sure I've hit the snooze button a solid five times, I peel my eyes open to see that my alarm isn't supposed to go off for another ten minutes. I sit up and look around for the source of the noise. Finally, I see my phone going off on my nightstand. Simon is calling me. I groan and hit accept. "What?" I practically growl into the receiver.

"Wow, what's your problem?" Simon asks sounding much too chipper.

I flop back down on my back. "You just woke me up!"

"Oh good! That means you haven't gotten dressed yet."

I close my eyes and rub my temples, trying not to lose my temper with Simon. "That's where you're wrong; I got dressed last night and slept in my clothes."

Simon laughs, most likely ignoring the bitter tone in my voice on purpose. "Isabelle wanted me to tell you that you had to wear one of your new outfits today, no exceptions."

I sigh and get out of bed, deciding to grab some breakfast while I talk to Simon. "Then why didn't she just tell me that?"

Simon's tone darkens a bit. "Oh, because I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

Uh-oh. "And what would that be?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you TOLD HER EMBARRASSING STORIES ABOUT ME!"

I pull the phone away from my ear and wince as he shouts the last part. "God, Simon! Calm down before you wake up the neighborhood! She asked me about you so I told her some funny stories. I thought you would be happy that you indirectly made your girlfriend laugh."

I balance the phone between my shoulder and my ear so I can pour myself a bowl of cereal. "She was laughing at me, not with me!"

I laugh. "Simon, don't be so dramatic! Look, if you want, I may be able to get some embarrassing stories about Izzy as a little girl out of Alec."

Simon sighs. "No, it's fine. Maybe I am overreacting."

I resist the urge to say, _you think? _"Simon, I have to go get ready, but I'll see you in school."

"Okay, Clary. See you then."

We both hang up and I set my phone on the counter next to me so I can eat my cereal.

* * *

I walk into school and fidget uncomfortably. I'm wearing one of my new outfits, per Izzy's request, and it's definitely different from what I would normally wear. I'm wearing faded gray skinny-jeans with black thigh high boots. My top is an emerald green blouse with black polka dots. It buttons up far enough to show a little bit of my chest, but it still looks tasteful. It's loose and flowing, but Isabelle promised me that it wouldn't make me look fat or anything along those lines.

I take a deep breath and walk to my locker. I have to admit, I kind of like the sound the high heeled boots make when they click against the tiled floor. I get to my locker and spin my combination in. I feel the presence of a body behind me and turn on my heel to see Sebastian Verlac leaning against the locker behind me. He's in the grade ahead of me and I've never actually had a conversation with him.

He smiles seductively at me. "Hey. You're Clary, right?"

I nod and shut my locker. "And you're Sebastian."

He winks and I resist the urge to gag. "The one and only. That's some outfit you have on there." He rakes his eyes up and down my body and I cross my arms over my chest. He takes a step closer to me. "Look, I was wondering-"

"Clary!" I turn around to see Isabelle walking toward us and waving in our direction. I sigh in relief.

"I have to go. It was nice meeting you!" _Not._ I practically run to Izzy. "Thank you so much!" I say once I'm next to her.

She links her arm with mine and smiles. "Lesson number one: if you dress to impress, you _will_ impress. We need to teach you how to keep slimy guys like him off of you."

I shudder at the memory of him looking at me as though I'm a piece of meat. "Is it true that he hooked up with a middle school girl over the summer?"

Izzy shudders too. "Don't know, but I don't really want to find out."

* * *

When I walk into the cafeteria, Simon and Isabelle are already sitting together. They're holding hands and laughing to themselves about something. I almost feel bad interrupting their happy little love bubble. Too bad I have nowhere else to sit.

I walk over and plop down across form Isabelle. "Clary!" she squeals with a laugh. "Simon just told me about the first time you went swimming in the ocean!"

I throw a nasty glare Simon's way. "I swear that that seaweed felt just like a fish!"

They both laugh and I roll my eyes. Looking over Isabelle's shoulder I see Jace sitting alone at a table. "Izzy?" I say.

She doesn't look up. "Hmm?"

"Why is Jace sitting alone?"

She bites her lip. "Well, Alec would sit with him, but he spends all his time with Magnus. I used to sit with him but…" She lets her sentence trail off and gestures at the table she is sharing with us.

I make a split second decision and stand up with my tray before I can change my mind. I mumble some excuse to Simon and Isabelle and walk towards Jace's table. I plop down across from him and say, "Hi, Jace." He doesn't look up, just nods slightly. "What's up?" He shrugs. I take a bite of my sandwich and chew slowly, trying to buy time to think of something else to say. I notice the lack of lunch in front of him. "Aren't you hungry?" I ask. He shrugs. I take the bag of chips off my tray and slide them to him across the table. He only lifts his gaze enough to look at the bag of chips. Slowly, I see a hint of a smile playing on his lips and he reaches out and grabs the chips. He sets his phone down on the table next to him and refocuses all his attention on his chips.

I smile. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

The rest of the week goes by much the same way. The next day I sit down across from Jace and leave Simon and Izzy to themselves. He doesn't acknowledge me as I sit down, but I didn't expect anything else. He doesn't have a lunch again today, so I slide him my chips again. He takes them with a slight nod of his head. I would ask him why he doesn't have a lunch, but I'm afraid that if I ask him anything too personal it may scare him away. The last thing I need is to be back to where we started-nowhere. I take a deep breath and try to think of a safe topic. I remember Izzy telling me on Monday that Jace was actually really close to their little brother, Max.

"I hear you have a little brother," I say tentatively. Jace doesn't respond. "Isabelle told me that he likes comics?" No response. "I have some at my house that I don't want anymore. If I bring them in, will you give them to him?"

Jace doesn't look up, but I can see him smiling slightly. "He would like that," he says.

I smile broadly and decide to reward him with no more questions for the day.

On Thursday, I come to lunch with a bag full of comic books. I set them on the table between Jace and I. "Here they are," I say.

Jace lifts his gaze to the bag and I can see a smile on his face, bigger than his usual one. "Thank you," he says.

My smile threatens to split my face in two. "You're welcome. I don't know what he likes, but this is mostly some common stuff like Marvel and all that."

Jace grabs the bag and sets it next to him. He looks at his folded hands and nods along with what I'm saying. I slide my chips towards him. He takes them with another nod.

"If he likes those, have him talk to Simon. I know Simon has way more comics than I do and I'm sure he could part with a few." I don't know if Jace is even listening to me, but I keep talking anyway. He hasn't gotten annoyed with me yet, so I take that as a good sign. "What's it like having so many siblings?"

Jace shrugs.

"I bet it's loud in the house. My house is quiet because it's just me, my mom and her boyfriend."

Jace glances up at me from under his lashes for a fleeting moment. "Your dad?" he says quietly.

It takes me a moment to respond because I'm so surprised by his comment. This is the first time he's actually said something to me that wasn't a basic response. "Um, he left my mom before I was born."

Jace nods and plays with his chips. "That must suck."

I shrug. "My mom says he was an ass, so I don't really care. My mom's boyfriend is like my dad anyway."

Jace nods and we don't talk for the remaining ten minutes of lunch.

It seems that my dad has given me something after all-a conversation with Jace Lightwood.

* * *

**As usual, thank you everyone for reading and supporting my story! I just want to remind you guys that if there is anything you want to see or suggest, feel free to let me know! And please review because they make me very happy and motivate me to update even faster! Also, I lied about there being Malec in this chapter but there will definitely be Malec and even more Clace and Sizzy in my next chapter-I promise!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry I couldn't update over the weekend. I was busy working everyday :( But, I should be able to update today and tomorrow so I hope that makes up for it! This chapter is a good one in my opinion, because A.) it has Malec and Clace and B.) I managed to work in some fluff and some plot developement. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I ****_still_**** don't own The Mortal Instruments or any of it's characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

On Friday, I don't hesitate to head straight to Jace's table during lunch. I walk past the table where Isabelle and Simon usually sit, but they aren't there yet. Plopping down across from Jace I immediately slide my chips toward him. He acknowledges them and me with a nod. Next week, I'll be sure to make him a sandwich everyday. A boy his age and size can't only have chips for lunch everyday. I make a mental note to ask Izzy what he likes on sandwiches.

As I'm trying to come up with a topic for the day, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Magnus and Alec standing behind me. I swallow the bite of sandwich that was in my mouth and smile at them. "Hey, guys. Did you want to sit with us?" I have to admit that having other people around who actually talk would be a welcome change.

Magnus flings himself down next to me dramatically and sighs. Alec rolls his eyes and calmly strolls over to sit next to Jace. Jace only acknowledges his brother with a nod, but he also makes eye contact unlike when he greets me.

I laugh lightly. "Magnus, what's wrong?"

He sighs again and drops an open sketch book onto the table. I glance at the drawing in it and discreetly put a hand over my mouth to hide my smile. It's a drawing of Alec. I don't need to glance toward the shy boy to know that he's blushing over being the focus of his boyfriends art.

After I've made sure to control my smile and Magnus still hasn't said anything, I give him a quizzical look. "What's wrong? It looks amazing so far."

Magnus laughs with little humor. "Not as good as you could do, which is why I have come here to seek your help."

Realization dawns on me. "Wait, isn't this the portrait sketch for art class that is due next period?"

Magnus gives me a slightly embarrassed look. "Yes, and I cannot for the life of me draw this damn boys hands!" He glances at his boyfriend. "No offense, darling."

Alec just shrugs, but his entire face and neck are beet red. I see Jace trying to hide a smile.

I make a hissing sound by inhaling through my teeth. "Hands are pretty tough, especially when they're small like this." His sketch is a full body drawing of Alec. It's hard to tell what action he's trying to capture in the sketch-if any-but he definitely did a great job of capturing Alec's shy and slightly embarrassed expression. It makes me wonder if he had Alec pose for the sketch, because that would certainly draw this expression out of him.

Magnus groans and puts his head in his hands. "I know! I'm tempted to just start over and do a close-up."

The words have barely left Magnus's mouth when Alec loudly exclaims, "NO!" He looks down embarrassed when we both stare at him. "I mean, please don't."

Magnus and I stifle a laugh and I can see Jace with his head in his hands. His shoulders are shaking with what is obviously laughter.

I turn toward Magnus with a more serious demeanor. "Really, I don't think that would be a good idea. I'll help you draw the hands if you want."

Magnus's face lights up. "Oh, thank you, Clary!"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now, what position do you want his hands to be in?" I see a devilish glint enter his eyes and I hold my hand up when he opens his mouth to speak. "Don't."

He laughs. "Fine. I was think something like this." He puts his hands into two slightly different positions that are obviously supposed to look relaxed, but look extremely forced.

I grimace. "Um, how about this? Alec, can you please stand up and relax with your arms by your sides?" Alec complies and puts his hands in positions that look much more natural. "There!" I exclaim. "Don't move!" I can tell this is making Alec uncomfortable, but he doesn't complain. He would do anything for Magnus. I turn toward Magnus. "Okay, now just take a good look at his hands, and copy it onto the paper. If you really focus on them and their proportion to the rest of him, it should come out fine."

Magnus nods and gets to work. Five minutes later, I can see that this isn't going to work. He erases his work for the tenth time and throws his hands up. "This is hopeless! Please, Clary, will you draw them for me? Please! I will owe you one! Anytime you need help drawing something, I'll help. Please!"

I sigh and agree. "Fine, but only because you're desperate." I grab the sketchbook from him and set to work. I glance up at Alec's hands every now and again to make sure I'm being accurate. Every time I look up, I can see Jace watching me out of the corner of my eye. Magnus, of course, is also watching me and practically breathing down my neck while doing so.

It's a relief when I'm finally done and everyone can peel their eyes off of me. I can tell Alec is relieved as well that he can sit down. The bell signaling the end of lunch rings right as I hand Magnus his sketchbook. He beams at me. "Thank you, Clary! I'll see you soon!"

I wave to him as he walks away with Alec. I'm throwing my tray away when I feel someone tap my shoulder. It's Jace. I stare up at him with wide eyes and a stunned expression. He's initiating something between us.

He meets my eyes as he speaks. "You're an amazing artist." He turns around and walks away before I can even get a thank you out of my mouth.

After that, I practically skip to art with a huge grin on me face.

* * *

I walk into school Monday morning feeling well rested after a peaceful weekend. My mom and Luke had taken me out to dinner Saturday night, but other than that I hadn't left my house the whole time. I decided to wear one of my old outfits today because it's Monday and that qualifies me to wear sweats. I'm wearing gray sweatpants that have 'St. Xavier's' written in red down the leg and one of my mom's old sweatshirts than has paint splattered across the arms. I know Isabelle won't approve, but who cares? Like I said-Monday means sweats.

As if my thoughts of her have summoned her, I find Izzy leaning against my locker with her arms folded across her chest. When I approach her, she stands up straight and gives me a skeptical look.

The smile I gave her when I saw her falters. I spin my combination in and glance at her. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What did you do to my brother?"

I feel my brow furrow in confusion. "Wait, which one?"

I can see her suppressing a smile and know that she isn't actually mad at me. "Jace, idiot!" Her voice carries no malice and I know she doesn't mean the insult.

I may know that she's joking, but I'm still insanely confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, Iz." I shut my locker and we start to walk toward homeroom together. I look around. "Wait, and where is Simon?"

She waves off my question. "I ditched him so I could talk to you, but that's beside the point!"

"And what is the point?"

She stops in the middle of the hallway and spins toward me. She speaks her next sentences in a hushed whisper. "The point is that Jace spent the entire weekend at home. He spent every night asleep and alone in his bedroom. That's the first time that's happened since he turned sixteen. So, what did you do?"

I blanch. "Why do you think I did anything?"

Isabelle rolls her eyes and starts walking again. I hurry to catch up to her. "You're the only new variable in his life. So, it has to be you."

I throw my hands up. "Look, I'm glad your brother didn't man whore himself out this weekend, but I assure you that it has absolutely _nothing_ to do with me!"

Isabelle gives me a doubtful look, but drops the subject and doesn't bring it back up.

* * *

I sit in my usual seat across from Jace at lunch that day. I can't help but stare at him and let Isabelle's words replay in my head. Did I do something to make him change? I shake my head and force myself not to think about that. I clear my throat. "Hey, Jace. I have something for you." I pull out the sandwich that I had made for him this morning. I had asked Isabelle Sunday night, and she told me that Jace was a big fan of peanut butter and jelly. She didn't ask me why I wanted to know, and for that I'm grateful.

I slide the sandwich and my chips across the table to him. He looks up at them from under his lashes. When he sees the sandwich along with the chips his head snaps up in my direction. We lock eyes and I refuse to look away. "Clary, you don't have to-"

I wave away his protests. "Nonsense. Everyone needs to eat."

I watch Jace swallow and close his eyes for a brief moment. Finally, he opens them but no longer focuses his attention on me. He takes the sandwich and chips and says, "Thank you, Clary. For everything."

I don't know what he means by the last part, but I don't ask. I just let myself bask in this moment. This is the first moment in which the silence between Jace and I is no longer awkward. This is the moment I start to feel comfortable with Jace Lightwood.

* * *

**Even though I already promised I would update tomorrow, reviews tonight would still be lovely :) Also, I'm curious if anyone has any book suggestions? I'm in need of a new series to get into. Please and thank you!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**

**P.S. I postponed my lunch for this, so the least you all could do was review to make up for it ;) You guys owe me!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I know that this is a little late-sorry!-but it's still today, so I ****_technically_**** haven't broken my promise! Thank you guys so much for the reviews! They really make my day and I'm looking forward to looking into all of your book suggestions! This will definitely be the last update until at least Friday because I have to work all day the next two days, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If you haven't realized by now that I don't own The Mortal Instruments, then you need help.**

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

I stroll into the kitchen and try to rub the sleep away from my eyes. I blindly stumble toward the cabinet and pull out a box of cereal at random. I almost drop the box when I hear my mom say from behind me, "Hi, honey."

I spin on my heel and curse under my breath. "Mom! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

I hear a laugh from my right and spin in that direction. Luke is leaning up against the doorframe.

"What is with you two?! You're never up this early and now you're not only up, but you're also trying to scare the crap out of your daughter!"

Luke walks over to sit next to my mom and I bring my cereal over to sit across from them. Luke clears his throat and grabs my mothers hand. "Actually, we're up early because we wanted to speak to you."

Uh-oh. "About what?" I try to look as innocent as possible as I attempt to come up with something I've done wrong recently. "Wait, is this about me bringing a sandwich to school everyday and buying a lunch? Because I can explain that."

"What? No, it's not that." Luke waves away the sandwich comment with a flick of his wrist. "We wanted to tell you that, as of last night, your mother and I have decided to get married."

I scoop another spoonful of Frosted Flakes into my mouth. "That's great," I mumble around the cereal.

My mom and Luke exchange a look. "You aren't upset or anything?" my mom asks in a worried tone.

I laugh. "Why would I be upset? You guys are practically married now." A devious smile plays at my lips. "I'm just glad you two will no longer be living in sin."

My mother gasps. "Clary!"

I shrug. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Luke trying to hide a smile. I smile in return. "Seriously though, I am happy for you guys."

I start to stand up and put my bowl in the sink when Luke's voice stops me. "That's not all, Clary."

I lean against the counter. "What else?"

Luke swallows nervously. "Now, this is entirely up to you, but I was thinking that once your mother and I are married, I would adopt you. I know you're sixteen, but it's more of a symbolic thing than a legal thing."

I feel tears pricking at my eyes and look down at my feet in embarrassment. "That would be really nice. Thank you." I walk over to my mom and Luke and hug them both. After that, I quickly walk to my room before they can see my tears. I've always thought of Luke as my father, but it's nice to hear that he thinks of me as a daughter as well.

* * *

By the time I get to my locker, the tears of joy from this morning are long gone and dried up. I'm also a bit relieved to see that I'm alone at my locker this morning. Isabelle must have walked to homeroom with Simon this morning, leaving me to walk to class in peace. Or so I think. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around with a sigh, expecting Simon or Izzy or even creepy Sebastian to be standing there. Instead, I meet a pair of golden eyes. Jace.

I swallow nervously and shut my locker. "Hi, Jace."

Jace shifts back and forth on his feet. I notice he's holding a bag in one of his hands. He follows my gaze down to the bag and then holds it out to me. After a beat he brings his eyes back up to meet mine and keeps them there as he speaks. "These are for you. They're from Max." I take them from him and glance between him and my locker as I open it to put them in. He stuffs his hands in his pockets but still doesn't break eye contact. "I'm sure you've already read them and stuff, but Max insisted that he gives you some since you gave him some comic books."

This is the most I've ever heard Jace talk and the longest we've made eye contact. I'm too stunned by that to respond for a moment. Finally, I smile and nod my head. "Well, that is very nice of him. You'll have to tell him I said thanks."

Jace shifts his feet uncomfortably again. "Actually, maybe you can thank him yourself on Friday night." Jace pauses for a moment to run his hand through his hair. "Isabelle invited Simon over for dinner and Alec is bringing Magnus, so I walk thinking, maybe you would like to come and meet Max and," he clears his throat, "keep me company?"

I have to try really hard to not let my mouth drop open. I force my head to nod up and down. "That-that would be very nice. Thank you."

Jace smiles slightly. "Come by my house at six on Friday night then." I nod again and Jace takes a step back. He runs another hand through his hair. "I'll, um, see you at lunch. Right?"

I smile. "Of course."

Jace nods and walks away with a small smile. I may have imagined it, but I swear Jace walks away looking more relaxed and even relieved than he did when he walked up. But, I probably imagined it. Right?

* * *

At quarter to six on Friday night I am sitting outside Simon's house and waiting for him to come out. We decided that since his house was on my way to the Lightwood's I would just pick him up. I'm starting to regret that though as the minutes tick by without him showing any signs of coming out. I've sent him several texts saying I was here, and I know that he has seen them because my phone says he has. I glance at the clock. 5:53. It takes about ten minutes to get to Isabelle's house from here, so we're already late.

As if my annoyed thoughts have finally summoned him, Simon comes out of his house and jogs toward the car. The second the door closes I'm backing out. "Took you long enough!" I huff.

I glance at Simon and see that he's blushing. "I couldn't figure out what to wear."

As I speed toward the Lightwood's, I come to a realization. "Wait, this is your first time meeting her parents, isn't it?"

Simon blushes deeper. "Well, yes."

I smile. "Awww! That is so cute!"

"It is not," Simon grumbles.

I glance over at him and take in his outfit. He's wearing a plaid button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up halfway and nice jeans. I have to admit, he tried harder than I did. I'm wearing faded jeans, converse and an old t-shirt that I got at an art festival a few years ago. "Simon, you look fine. You have nothing to worry about because I'm sure they'll love you."

Simon's expression softens. "Thanks, Clary. I needed to hear that."

I smile back at him and we ride the last few minutes in silence.

At 6:01 I pull into the Lightwood's driveway. We both get out of the car and walk up to the door. I lead the way and Simon drags behind a little bit. I realize that this is his first time here, so he's probably a bit stunned by the immensity of the house as I was my first time here.

I ring the doorbell and Simon slowly strolls up behind me. The door flings open to reveal Jace. He's smiling slightly at us and opens the door a bit further. I walk in and Simon follows. Isabelle comes running in and drags Simon away with only a nod in my direction. I have to laugh at her eagerness to introduce her boyfriend to her family. I turn toward Jace and smile. "Hi."

Jace smiles and looks up at me from under his lashes. "You're late." He jerks his head toward the clock on the wall. I look at it. 6:03.

I lightly hit his arm and say, "Shut up."

He looks up at me and makes full eye contact. "Do you want to meet Max?"

I smile. "I'd love to."

Jace lightly places his hand on the small of my back to steer me toward the kitchen. He only places it there for a moment, but once he takes his hand away the space where it had been feels cold. I ignore that as best I can as we walk toward the kitchen.

As soon as everyone else comes into view I'm almost knocked over by someone running up to me and hugging me. They're short with glasses and tousled brown hair. "I assume you're Max?" I laugh as he pulls away.

He beams up at me. "Yes! And you're Clary! I know that because Jace told me what you look like!" I glance behind me and see Jace looking down with his hands in his pockets. The tips of his ears are red. I turn back to Max as he continues. "Thank you for the comics! Those are my favorite! Did Jace give you the ones from me?"

I laugh. "Yes, he did. Thank you by the way. I've already read a few of them and they're really good." I suddenly remember Simon's nervousness and his desire for Izzy's family to like them. "But, if you really like comics, you'd be better off talking to Simon over there. He's the bigger comic fan."

Max beams and runs over to talk to Simon. Simon shoots me a grateful look over Max's head as he leads Simon over to the table. Isabelle hurries to follow them and make sure her little brother doesn't monopolize all of her boyfriends time. The scene is so cute I can't help but smile.

Once they're seated at the table with Alec and Magnus, who I hadn't noticed earlier, Maryse walks up to me and engulfs me in a hug. She pulls away enough to look at me and whisper, "I don't know what you did, but thank you." I start to ask her what she means, but she's already walking away and announcing that we should all take our seats because dinner will be ready any minute now.

Jace lightly places his warm hand on my back again and we walk over to the table to sit with everyone else. As we approach the table, Max's face lights up. "Clary!" He pats the empty seat to the right of him. Simon is sitting on his left. "Come sit next to me!"

I smile and walk over to sit next to him. Jace follows me and sits down in the seat nearest me, which happens to be the head of the table. Magnus is sitting across from me with Jace on his left and Alec on his right. I smile in Alec's direction and he returns the gesture. Magnus gives me a wink that I respond to with a smile. He really is too much sometimes.

Robert and Maryse walk in, each carrying a few dishes. They set them down and Robert sits down across from Isabelle. Maryse claps her hands together and proudly declares, "Dinner is served!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys! Please review because I have a couple really long days coming up and they would sure make my days better! :)**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	8. Chapter 8

**You guys are seriously amazing! You're reviews make my day so much better! I love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I am not secretly Cassandra Clare and therefore do not own The Mortal Instruments.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

For most of the dinner I entertain myself by watching Simon squirm in his seat. Much to Isabelle's dismay, her parents had announced early on that he was the first boy Izzy had ever brought home. Isabelle was mortified by that and Simon was even more nervous. For the past forty-five minutes Maryse and Robert have been peppering him with questions in a good-natured fashion.

After a while watching Simon squirm had gotten pretty old. I knew Jace wouldn't be a source of in depth conversation, so I ruled him out. Alec and Magnus were lost in conversation with each other and looked so happy I couldn't possibly bring myself to interrupt that. I look to my left. Max is pushing some food around on his plate and looks utterly bored. I turn in his direction and watch him move his broccoli to the left side of his plate then back to the right. "Don't like broccoli?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Not really."

"You know who does like broccoli?" I venture.

He turns toward me with curious eyes. "Who?"

"The Incredible Hulk," I say. He gives me a doubtful look. "It's true! They make up some other more interesting story for the movies and books, but the real reason he's green and strong is because he eats broccoli all the time. When he gets angry, he's really just channeling the strength the broccoli gives him."

Max looks between me and his broccoli. "I don't think that's true…"

I shrug. "Fine. If you don't want to be as strong as the hulk, then don't eat your broccoli. Your loss." I turn back toward my plate and scoop a big forkful of broccoli into my mouth. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Max stares at his broccoli for a while before shoveling it into his mouth and then even going back for seconds. I smile to myself and look up to see Jace smiling at me. I wink at him and his smile broadens.

After dinner we all help bring our dishes into the kitchen and place them by the sink. "Do you need help with anything?" I ask Maryse.

She gives me a warm smile. "Oh no, honey. We have a dishwasher so this won't take long at all, but thank you."

I nod and turn around when I hear a throat being cleared behind me. Jace is standing in the doorway of the kitchen with an eyebrow quirked. I walk over to him and fold my arms over my chest. "Thanks for inviting me over."

Jace shrugs. We both stand in silence for a few minutes before Jace takes a deep breath. "Can I show you something?" I nod. Jace takes my hand and starts leading me through his living room. We pass Simon, Izzy, Max, Alec and Magnus. They're all watching some movie that's playing on TV.

Jace leads me out a pair of French doors and shuts them behind him. They have flimsy curtains on the inside, so we can't see anyone in the living room and they can't see us. We pause outside the doors and Jace says, "Close your eyes." I oblige and he steers me as we walk for a few more moments. Finally, he turns me and then whispers. "Open your eyes, Clary."

I do as he says and gasp slightly. We're standing in a little manmade clearing in the woods behind his house. Strung up in the trees are little twinkle lights like the ones on Christmas trees. There's a few rose bushes and a small fountain with a bench next to it. "It's beautiful," I breathe.

Jace smiles at me and gives a small tug on my hand. I follow him and we sit down on the bench. We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes as we take in the crisp night air. It's a little cold out, but the fresh air makes it worth it. After a while I suddenly realize that my hand is still in Jace's. I pull it away and say awkwardly, "Uh, I'm sorry."

Jace smiles slightly. "I like to come out here and think. It's far away from my family, so it's quiet. Last time I was out here…," he clears his throat. "Well, I just thought you would like this place."

I smile at Jace. "I would love to draw out here. It would be so peaceful." I nudge him with my shoulder. "I'm kind of jealous of you."

Jace kicks a rock with his shoe. "If you want," he runs a hand through his hair, "I mean, if you need somewhere quiet to come and draw, or anything, you're more than welcome here."

I sigh happily. "Thank you. That's really sweet of you."

"My family loves you. God, even my siblings boyfriends love you."

I smile teasingly. "What about you?"

He drops his gaze down to his shoes and I fear for a moment that my teasing may have pushed him too far. Then, he looks back up at me. "Yeah. I like you too."

I swear I've never smiled this broadly before. I elbow him in the ribs lightly. "You aren't too bad yourself." Wait. What am I doing? Am I actually flirting with Jace Lightwood?

Jace nudges me back and smiles down at me. Is Jace Lightwood flirting back?

We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Eventually, I hear Jace sigh. "We should probably get back." I nod and start to stand. Jace grabs my wrist and tugs me back down. "Clary, wait."

I tilt my head a bit. "I thought you wanted to get back to the house…?"

Jace shakes his head. "Not yet. I wanted to talk to you about something first."

I turn my body on the bench so that I'm completely facing Jace and pull my legs up to my chest. "What's up?"

Jace angles his body toward me a little more. "I just wanted to thank you." His voice is extremely quiet so I scoot closer to him so I can hear him better. "No one…" he clears his throat. "I don't talk to people, so everyone thinks I'm some ass." He looks at me. "Not you. You didn't know the first thing about me and you talked to me and were nice to me. I just wanted to make sure that you knew how much that means to me." The last part is so quiet that I could barely hear him even though we aren't even a foot away from each other.

Before I can second guess or stop myself, I reach forward and wrap my arms around his neck. He freezes for a moment, but then he hastily wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes tight. "You aren't an ass, Jace," I whisper in his ear.

I feel his chest rumble with laughter. "Thank you, Clary," he whispers in my ear. His warm breath ruffles my hair and tickles my ear, but that doesn't make me pull away. We sit there embracing for a few more moments and then Jace pulls away. "Now we should really get back. I'm sure their movie is over and unless you want to wait around for Simon to watch another one with Max, we should get there quick."

I laugh and stand up. Jace stands up as well and I see his eyes flicker down to my hand. For some reason, I want him to hold it again like he did when we came out here. On impulse, I reach out and grab his hand. He looks at me, a little startled. I shrug and hope the dark hides my blush. "It's dark out and I think I would probably fall or something."

The excuse is lame and we both know it. He smirks at me and says, "Sure, Clary. I won't let you fall." It isn't too dark for me to see his wink.

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**I'm sorry that this is a short chapter, so I will update tomorrow with another! But, if this chapter gets a big response and a lot of reviews I may be swayed to write another chapter tonight ;) The choice is yours my friends!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	9. Chapter 9

**GUYS! ****_GUYS!_**** Almost 20 reviews since I posted chapter 8 at lunch! That is like five times what I have been getting per chapter! You guys are seriously THE BEST! I LOVE hearing from all of you! Especially when you guys compliment my writing! You guys don't know how much that means to me because I dream of being a published author! Serioulsy, I love you guys! So, here is this bonus chapter of sorts that I know was ****_technically_**** supposed to be posted yesterday, but I didn't get home from work until 10:30 and then I had to eat and stuff so...yeah. It's midnight and therefore this chapter is quick and short and probably a bit full of mistakes. I apologize in advance for any mistakes, but I am just way too tired to proofread this. I also ramble a lot when I'm overtired, so I'll shut up now and let you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I feel like I don't need to do two of these within twelve hours.**

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**Chapter 9:**

As we approach the French doors that lead back to Jace's house and reality, Jace lets go of my hand. It feels too empty without his long fingers laced in mine, so I cross my arms and shove my hands in my armpits.

Jace was right in assuming their movie was over because the credits are playing as we walk in. Simon, Izzy and Max are sitting on the couch and Izzy has her head on Simon's shoulder. Magnus and Alec are on the loveseat and Magnus has his legs stretched out across the length of it and covering Alec's lap. As Jace shuts the French doors behind us, all eyes focus on us. Well, except for Max who is curled up in a ball and asleep.

Jace walks straight up to Max and takes off the boys glasses so they don't break. He carefully folds them up and sets them on the coffee table. Simon and Izzy stand up, but Magnus and Alec make no attempt to move. Alec may have stood up but Magnus was kind of pinning him down. Simon stretches his arms over his head. "Time to go?"

I nod. "Yeah, it's getting kind of late."

Simon nods and says his goodbyes to everyone in the room before he and Isabelle walk to the door to say their goodbyes privately. I turn to Alec and Magnus. "Bye, guys. I'll see you Monday."

Magnus gives me something that resembles a princess wave. Alec nods and mumbles some form of goodbye. I turn to Jace and shove my hands in my pockets. "Tell Max I said bye, okay? I don't want to wake him, but I don't want him to think I blew him off either. Same to your parents."

Jace nods.

I shift my weight to my other foot. "Thanks for having me over."

Jace nods.

"So, I guess I'll see you Monday?"

Jace nods.

I start to turn away and call, "Goodnight," over my shoulder.

I feel a hand on my arm and turn around. Jace envelopes me in a hug and whispers in my ear, "Goodnight, Clary." He lets me go and walks over to sit next to Max without another word. I look at Alec who shrugs a bit apologetically. Magnus just winks at me. I practically run out the door with a hasty goodbye to Isabelle.

I shut the car door behind me and sigh. Beside me, Simon buckles his seatbelt. He's grinning like crazy. I can't help but to feel happy for him. "How do you think it went?" I ask.

He smiles at me as I turn around and begin to pull out. "Great! They all seemed to like me, especially Max."

I smile at him. "Max loves you and I think the rest of them do too."

He sighs happily. "I think I love her, Clary."

I have to resist the urge not to swerve off the road. "Simon! You barely know her! You've only been dating her a few weeks!"

He continues to smile happily out the dark window. "It doesn't matter. When you know, you know."

I shake my head good naturedly and mutter, "Young love," under my breath.

Either Simon doesn't hear me, or he's too happy to pay any attention to me.

* * *

Monday morning I walk into school to find Sebastian leaning against my locker. I groan internally. Even though I haven't been wearing Isabelle's outfits everyday, I have been trying a little harder to look decent. Apparently, I look too decent because I've attracted unwanted attention.

I walk up to my locker with caution. Sebastian smiles at me. "Hey, Clary. You look hot today."

I mumble a thank you and ignore him as I spin my combination in.

"I must say, redheads are severely underrated," Sebastian purrs. When he picks up a strand of my hair, I jerk away from him. I'm about to tell him off when someone interrupts.

"Clary," I hear the musical voice call. I turn to my left and see Jace walking toward us. He has a fake smile plastered on his face, but his glaring eyes are trained on Sebastian. He reaches us and shoots daggers at Sebastian. Sebastian mumbles some excuse and runs away without hesitation. Intimidating. Another trait to add to the convoluted description of Jace.

As soon as Sebastian is gone, Jace walks with me toward my homeroom. He doesn't say anything the whole walk. When we reach the door I turn toward him to say thank you, but he waves my thanks away as soon as I open my mouth. "All I want you to know," he says, "is that all the rumors about him are true." He walks away without a backward glance.

I try again to thank him at lunch, but he won't have it. "Just keep these awesome sandwiches coming and we'll call it even." He smiles toothily at me before making a big show of taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.

I laugh so hard that I snort, which causes Jace and I both to laugh harder. I like Jace's laugh-it's musical and sweet. It sounds as though Beethoven composed it and then dipped it in honey. I feel myself wanting to hear more and more of it.

Once we've both stopped laughing Jace gives me a serious look. "Does your mom mind you buying a lunch and bringing a sandwich everyday?"

I laugh lightly. "Oddly enough, I brought it up to her and Luke the other day and they hadn't even noticed."

Jace nods. "You know you don't really have to bring me a lunch everyday."

I roll my eyes. "I kind of do, considering you refuse to provide a lunch for yourself and I would be sad if you starved."

Jace just shrugs and focuses all his attention on his food. That's not a good sign. When we lose eye contact it usually means he's going back into his shell. I don't know what I did to provoke him this time, but I don't want to lose him any further so I just decide that we've had enough conversation for the day. We finish our lunch in a peaceful silence.

When the bell rings we both throw our trash away. Jace lingers by my side for a moment and looks as though he has something to say, so I stick around and wait for him to get up to speaking his mind. Finally he say, "Thank you. For the sandwiches." And just like that, Jace is back.

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**Again, I'm really sorry for any mistakes. I can seriously barely keep my eyes open right now. Anywho...even though this is sort of posted today and not yesterday like it was supposed to, there will still be a real today update. So! Please review :)**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**

**P.S. I meantioned wanting to be a published author and I'm actually currently writing my own novel. If you want to hear more about it PM me or ask me a question or two in the reviews! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Thank you guys so much for your continued support! This chapter is a little longer than the last two, but not by a lot. Also, I just want to warn you that is says the f-word once. Sorry! So, I've had a few people ask me about the book I'm writing so I thought I would give a little summary here. If you don't give two craps about my book, then skip this next part and enjoy the chapter!**

**So, I still have to come up with a title for my book, but if you've read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, then it follows the same line of mythology as those books with the dhampirs, moroi and strigoi. If you haven't read her books, then basically dhampirs are half human half vampire, moroi are mortal vampires that can go in sun and don't only survive on blood and strigoi are undead evil vampires that are more along the lines of the normal vampire mythology. However, I don't have the moroi magic thing in my book. Anyway, my book is about a dhampir girl named Audrey who has started getting these "visions" which make her pass out for a while and relive these past memories in her head. She has no idea what casues them or anything. The story follows her and her best friends, John (a dhampir) and Maggie (a moroi) as they try to keep these visions hidden from the public and figure out what is happening to her. The book has a little bit of action, some romance, humor and a bit of other genres. All rights to this story and plot idea go to me, YesIWriteForFun, and me only. If I find anyone else using this I will report you. Sorry, I just really don't want people stealing my idea, haha. If anyone is super interested in my book, I may be convinced to send you the first chapter so you can get an accurate taste of it. You would have to be pretty convincing though. Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments or it's characters.**

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**Chapter 10:**

"Clary." Someone is shaking me and whispering my name. I groan and try to roll away form the person. "_Clary!_" The person whispers with more urgency and volume. They shake me more violently.

I groan more loudly and flop onto my back. "_What?!_" I snap without opening my eyes.

I feel the bed dip beside me and someone pushes my legs a little, trying to get me to make room for them. With a sigh I sit up and slowly open my eyes. I take in the lack of light in my room and drag my eyes over to my alarm clock. It's three in the morning.

As my eyes adjust, I can make out my mom sitting cross-legged on the end of my bed. She has a big stack of magazines in her lap. "I have no idea what kind of dress I want and I can't even begin to come up with a theme!"

"Mom, why are you planning your wedding at three in the morning?"

My mom gives me a sideways look. "Why not?"

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Why are you coming to me?"

She throws her hands up. "I don't know! You're artistic! Maybe you can come up with a theme!"

I throw my head back against my headboard. "You're an actual artist who sells paintings! Look, I'll think about it, okay? But not at three in the morning! And as for the dress, my friend Isabelle is super into fashion and stuff so I can ask her to help you out there if you want."

My mom breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, honey! You're the best!"

She throws her arms around me and I hug her back. "Yeah, yeah. I'm great. Now, can I _please_ go to bed?"

My mom pulls away and hastily stands up. "Of course! Sweet dreams, Clary."

As soon as she's gone I lay back down and am out like a light.

* * *

Jace is waiting for me at my locker this morning. I smile as I approach him. He's leaning against the empty locker next to mine with his hands shoved into his pockets. He's staring at his shoes, so he doesn't see me approach. I sneak up to him as quietly as I can, then slam my hand against the locker once I'm next to him. I expected him to jump but he just slowly lifts his gaze toward me with a smile playing on his lips. "Going to have to try harder than that, Clary."

I throw my hands up. "How did you see me?"

He winks. "Secret." His voice is light and he's smiling, but I can see something dark brewing behind his eyes. I file that into the back of my mind and tuck it away in the folder labeled 'Jace'.

He waits for me as I grab my books and walks with me to my homeroom. "Aren't you going to be late?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Doesn't matter if I am."

I turn toward him at the door. "As much as I appreciate you walking me to class, you really don't have to. Especially if it's going to make you late."

Jace slowly looks me up and down. Today I am wearing one of Izzy's outfits. It's the first one I had tried on, with the skirt and leather jacket. "Yeah," he says, his voice slightly husky. "I do." He walks away with a, "See you at lunch," called over his shoulder.

I walk into homeroom and take my usual seat behind Simon and diagonal from Izzy. They both turn around to look at me. Izzy raises an eyebrow at me and Simon makes a poor attempt at winking. I glare at Simon. "What's wrong? Something in your eye?"

He just rolls his eyes and turns around to face the front. Isabelle is giving me a genuine smile and I quickly return it before the teacher begins speaking.

* * *

I walk into the lunchroom and stop dead in my tracks. Some skinny brunette girl in skimpy clothes is leaning against our table and talking to Jace. I think she's a senior girl named Aline. I watch as she leans toward him and laughs. He isn't making eye contact with her, but he isn't pushing her away either.

Not wanting to interrupt his little flirting festival, I plop down at the table with Isabelle and Simon. I make sure to position myself so I can see Jace. "Clary?" Isabelle asks in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Hearing Isabelle's voice, Jace looks up from the next table over. He locks eyes with me, and I watch as his shoulders slump. He puts his head in his hands and stays that way for a few minutes. I ignore Isabelle and Simon as I watch him. When he doesn't move, Aline puts a hand on his back. That's a mistake. He snaps his head up and glares at her. He says something too quiet for me to hear, but she is gone not a second later, running back to her table of friends. When she's gone, Jace puts his head in his hands again. I mumble a goodbye to Simon and Isabelle and walk over to Jace and our usual table. I sit down across from him, but he doesn't look up. I slide the sandwich and chips to him, but he still doesn't look up. I pick at my pizza and wait for him to move, but he doesn't for several minutes. Finally, I've had enough. "Jace," I say.

His head snaps up. "It's you." I nod. "I thought…" He lets his sentence trail off.

I shrug. "I didn't want to interrupt. You looked…busy." I stare at my pizza, which suddenly doesn't look appetizing.

Jace sighs and starts to eat his sandwich. "She's annoying. She just walked over here and started blabbering on about something. I stopped listening about two words in."

I can't help but smile at that. "What did you say to her? She ran away like a dog with it's tail between it's legs."

Jace winces. "I don't think you want to know that, Clary."

I tilt my head. "Why wouldn't I?"

Jace shrugs and won't meet my eyes. "It was pretty…harsh."

"I don't care."

Jace runs a hand through his hair and looks up at me. "Fine. I told her to shut the hell up and get out of my fucking face."

I nod and try to suppress a smile. I can't hold it in for long though, and I start laughing.

Jace gives me a crooked smile. "Why are you laughing?"

This just makes me laugh more. "Because you probably scared the crap out of her!" I gasp out.

He rubs the back of his neck with one of his hands. "Yeah, I kind of did." He lets out a small laugh. "You should've seen her face. I don't think she faces rejection often."

I want to ask why he rejected her and has been rejecting girls lately, but I refrain because I know that that is one of the questions that will send him back into his shell. Instead I change the subject abruptly. "Be honest, okay? What does your family think of Simon?"

Jace gives me a funny look at the randomness of my questions, but answers anyway. "Well, they think he's a bit odd, but they also think he's a good kid. I think they're just glad Isabelle finally has a serious boyfriend. Max loves him though." As an after thought he adds, "Not as much as he loves you though."

I duck my head to hide my blush. "Well, I'm glad they like him. He was super nervous about meeting them."

Jace shrugs. "He seems like a good kid and as long as he's good to Isabelle he's fine with me."

"Can I ask you something?"

Jace nods and takes a bite of his sandwich.

I swallow nervously. "I know this is kind of personal, but what does your family think of Alec and Magnus?"

Jace sighs and thinks for a moment. "Izzy and I are happy for him and Max is too young to really get it. Our parents though…" He takes a deep breath. "I think they're glad he's happy, but we all know they would have preferred him being straight."

I nod. "Well, I've sat with Magnus in art since middle school and if it makes you feel any better, he absolutely loves Alec. Don't tell anyone this, but I think Magnus had a crush on Alec before Alec even came out."

Jace laughs lightly. "I think Alec had a crush on Magnus before Alec came out."

I laugh and shake my head. "Your parents must be happy that half their kids are in serious relationships already."

Jace smiles a bit ruefully at me. "They're happy about more than that. Trust me." The bell signaling the end of lunch ends before I can ask Jace what he means by that. He gets up with another smile in my direction and walks away from the table.

We have totally different schedules, so this will be the last time I see him today. This isn't the first time that that thought makes me feel a bit sad.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading guys! I've been getting a lot of people saying that they love Max, so I've been contemplating doing a oneshot in Max's POV when this story is finished. It would be what he thinks about Clary and what he thinks Jace thinks of Clary and stuff like that. I don't know though. If you're interested in that or have other suggestions, please let me know in the reviews. Anyway, I should be able to update tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. Sorry! Please review and make me smile :)**

**Love always, **

**YesIWriteForFun**


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys are so awesome! Another big response for chapter 10! I have a feeling you guys will really like this chapter because it has a LOT of Clace and it sets up the next chapter for some MEGA Clace. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

I was feeling inspired this morning. It's Friday and I'm in an unusually good mood, so when I woke up I thought I would experiment with my outfit. I mixed some of my old clothes with some of my new ones. I'm wearing dark wash ripped jeans and knee high boots. On top, I'm wearing a cut off St. Xavier's t-shirt with my leather jacket over it. My messy hair is tamed into a bun that I made look messy on purpose. I have to admit that Izzy's going to be proud of me.

Jace isn't at my locker this morning which I find to be a little weird. Everyday this week he's been walking me to class. Maybe he's sick. I think about different reasons he may not be here as I get my books out of my locker. When I shut my locker door, I jump out of my skin because Sebastian is leaning against the locker next to me with a smirk on his face. I hadn't seen him because my locker door obscured him from view.

When he sees me jump he grins wickedly and leans toward me. "Boo," he whispers.

I shake off my startled feeling and roll my eyes. "Excuse me," I mumble and try to step around him.

He won't have any of that. He steps in my path and backs me up against the locker. He puts one hand on the lockers beside my head and leans in toward me. He looks me up and down and actually _licks his lips_. I resist the urge to shudder. "You look good today, Clary." He winks at me again. "Delicious even."

I press my back against the locker as hard as I can, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. I was running a little late this morning and by now the hallways are empty and deserted. Jace isn't here. Isabelle isn't here. I'm alone.

I put on a brave face. "Look, I'm going to be late to class, so I really should be going."

Sebastian puts his other hand on the locker on the other side of my head. "You've got time. Besides, I was kind of hoping that you and I could ditch first period together."

My brave façade is slipping as I feel more and more trapped. "I really can't. I have an important test, and I've already missed a lot of days…" I let my sentence trail off-he isn't buying it anyway.

He leans in a little closer. I press my back into the locker a little harder. "Come on, Clary. Don't be such a prude! We can go out to my car and have a little fun." How romantic.

"Sebastian, I really don't want to."

He leans in to whisper in my ear. "I think you do." His breath is hot and sticky and gross.

I feel the panic set in. I know some self defense moves, but none are coming to mind right now. The rise and fall of my chest becomes more and more uneven. Before I can really start to panic, Sebastian is gone. One second he's there, the next he's not. I hear a slam next to me and see Jace pinning Sebastian to the lockers by holding his forearm against his throat.

I slowly back away until I feel like I'm at a safe distance. "Stay the hell away from her," Jace growls. I should stop this, but I'm frozen in place.

Sebastian smirks, but it's obviously laced in pain. "What are you going to do about it?" Jace and Sebastian are about the same height, but Sebastian is bulkier. Jace however, is lean. I bet Jace is stronger than Sebastian.

Jace gets a dangerous smirk of his own. He steps away from Sebastian and pauses for about half a second. Then, he slams his fist into Sebastian's nose. Sebastian's head bangs back against the lockers from the impact. He immediately bends over and clutches his nose in pain. It's bleeding. Jace bends down so he's level with Sebastian. "Next time you talk to her, it'll be much worse."

Jace stands up straight and turns in my direction. What a sight I must be, standing here with wide eyes and an even wider open mouth. Jace's face softens and he reaches out an open palm toward me. "Clary," he whispers. He takes a tentative step forward, as if approaching a wounded animal. He thinks I'm afraid of him. He's an idiot.

I run up to him and wrap my arms around his neck. I almost knock him over, but he quickly rights himself and wraps his arms securely around my waist.

"Are you okay?" he whispers in my ear.

I nod my head against his shoulder.

He squeezes me tighter for a moment, then lets go enough to look me in the eyes. "Do you want to get to class?"

The bell rang long ago. It's probably about half way through first period now. I shake my head.

He grabs my hand. "Come on. I know somewhere we can go for a bit while we wait for the end of first period."

He leads me down the hallway. Sebastian is gone, but I don't know where. Nor do I care for that matter. We walk in silence for a while, but I don't mind. I don't feel like talking. Jace's grip on my hand is tight and that is all the reassurance I need.

Finally, we reach a door that I've walked by countless times but never really noticed. Jace throws a quick look around to make sure no one is looking at us, then pries it open. It opens with less effort than I would have expected. Jace ushers me inside and I quickly climb the stairs that were hidden behind this mysterious door. It only takes us a few moments to reach the top of the stairs where there is another door that Jace pries open with unexpected ease.

He throws the door open and we step through it. I squint against the sudden bright light, but my eyes quickly adjust. I turn to Jace who is smiling at me. "The roof?" I ask.

He shrugs and takes my hand again. He leads me over to a couple overturned crates that must act as chairs. He sits in one and I sit in the other. They're close enough to the edge that we can see over, but there's no way anyone looking up can see us.

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I'm the one to break the silence. "Thank you," I whisper as I stare at my hands.

Jace doesn't say anything for a while. After too long, I can't stand it and I look up at him. He's glaring off into the horizon. He looks lost in thought so I let him think in peace and speak when he's ready. It's another few minutes before he says, "I wasn't there this morning."

I smile a little despite my best efforts not to. "Yeah, I noticed."

Jace must hear the smile in my voice because he turns his glare on me. "It's not funny, Clary. He had one of his friends corner me at my locker and tell me someone had hit my car. I ran outside and my car was fine. He lied to make sure I wasn't there and he could get to you."

I look back down at my hands. "He won't bother me again though." He doesn't immediately respond, so I glance up at him from under my lashes. He isn't glaring anymore, but he still looks lost in thought.

I almost give up on expecting an answer from him when he says, "I'll kill him if he does."

* * *

Jace and I are both quiet at lunch. We don't say anything to each other for the first ten minutes or so. My attention is so focused on the tray in front of me that I jump five feet in the air when I hear two trays being set onto our table. I look up and see Simon and Izzy sitting with us. "Um, hey guys," I say tentatively. Jace has yet to look up.

"Hey, Clary! I love your outfit today! Nice job!" Izzy says as she bounces in her seat.

I blush. "Thanks."

Izzy smiles. "Actually, when I saw it, it got me thinking that we need to get you some more clothes. You only got a few outfits last time. So, we're going to go shopping for more clothes for you tomorrow!"

While I didn't hate shopping with Izzy, I didn't like it enough to want to go again already. I quickly try to come up with some excuse, but fail miserably. "Um, Izzy, I'm really sorry, but I can't."

She sticks her bottom lip out in a pout. "Why not?"

"Well, uh…," I fumble and wring my hands together nervously.

"She has plans. With me." All our eyes snap to Jace. He's looking up now and he's staring at me with a smirk playing at his lips. "Right, Clary?"

I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. "That's right! Sorry, Izzy. Maybe some other time?"

Isabelle looks between Jace and I with suspicious eyes. After a moment more of studying us she shrugs. "Whatever. Maybe next weekend."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, maybe next weekend." I feel another pair of eyes on me and turn to see Simon staring at me and grinning. He knows I hate shopping. I just hope he doesn't rat me out to his girlfriend.

Isabelle sighs and stands up. "Well, that's all I really wanted to ask you, so we'll leave you to it. Bye guys!"

I wave at both of them and spin toward Jace as soon as they're back at their own table. Wary of their proximity, I drop my voice to a whisper. "Thank you! I hate shopping."

Jace smiles and lowers his voice as well. "I could tell. Look, we don't really have to do something if you don't want to. I was just giving you an out."

I smile at Jace. "Are you saying you lied to your sister?"

Jace rolls his eyes and doesn't respond.

I look down at my food and pick at it as I respond. "I'll do something if you want to."

I risk a glance at Jace from under my lashes. He's smiling at me. "I want to."

* * *

**Thank you guys for reading! Now, I have a feeling you guys are going to like this chapter, but I'm kind of unsure. I just want to explain that I'm well aware that the real Jace would be more likely to use his words to fight, but this Jace doesn't really have words as an option, so violence was the obvious choice. Next chapter will be the "something" that Clary and Jace do. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think because, like I said, I'm actually a bit unsure of how you all will react to this chapter. Also, I don't have any definite ideas for what Clary and Jace will do next chapter, so I would LOVE it if you guys threw me some ideas. If I use your idea I will give you full credit in the beginning note of the chapter.**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**

**P.S. I should be able to update tomorrow, but I'm not 100% sure. However, reviews do encourage me... ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Have I ever told you guys that you are AWESOME?! Seriously, TWENTY-FOUR reviews for the last chapter?! That was WAY more than I have been getting! I LOVE you guys! So, here is a longer than normal chapter filled to the brim with Clace! :) Also, thank you all for giving me ideas for what Clary and Jace could do! I actually did use a few of your ideas so... SHOUTOUT to percabethandclace for you AWESOME ideas and another SHOUTOUT to I like being a guest for your AWESOME idea. Thank you guys! I owe you one! :)**

**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare and therefore her thoughts and ideas (i.e. The Mortal Instruments) do not belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter 12:**

I'm sitting at my table eating breakfast on Saturday morning when my phone buzzes. I shove another bite of toast into my mouth and pick it up. I have a new text message from an unknown number. It reads, "Got your number and address from Iz. Pick you up at 11? -Jace".

I send a quick response and glance at the clock. 10:00. I scarf down the rest of my toast and chase it down with half a glass of orange juice. My mom and Luke give me quizzical looks, but I ignore them as I run off to take a shower.

As I shower I piece together an outfit in my head and pray that all the necessary parts are clean.

I hop out of the shower ten minutes later and give my tangled hair a quick blow dry. If I let my hair air dry it will just frizz up and be a total mess. At 10:50 I pull the clothes I'm looking for out of my closet. It takes me three minutes to pull on the gray skinny jeans, black converse and long sleeve t-shirt that says, "It's not sarcasm, it's my allergic reaction to your stupidity!" I think Simon got the shirt for me when we were in middle school. It's sad to think I haven't grown since then.

I'm pulling my hair back into a ponytail when I hear someone knock on the front door. _Please don't let Mom or Luke get it first,_ I silently plead. I sprint into the living room and skid to a halt. My mom and Jace are standing in the doorway. She makes a gesture that invites him in. I hurry over to them. "Shouldn't we be going?" I say, promptly interrupting whatever Jace had been saying to my mother.

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "But Clary, your mother and I were just having a lovely conversation that I would hate to cut short. We can stay and chat for a few more minutes."

I glare at Jace with as much ferocity as I can muster. He winks at me as we both follow my mother into the kitchen where Luke is sitting at the table. On Saturdays, he has his most trusted employee at the book store, Maia, open up for him so he can get a little time off. He'll probably be heading down there in a few minutes.

"Luke," my mother says, "this is Jace-Clary's friend."

I don't miss the wink she sends his way.

Luke stands up and shakes Jace's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luke, Clary's soon to be step-father."

Jace raises an eyebrow. "Clary didn't tell me you two were getting married."

My mother starts nodding enthusiastically. Oh, God. Does he know what he just started? "Yes! We're getting married in April!" Suddenly my mom gasps. "You should come to the wedding! We've barely started putting together the guest list, so this is perfect! I was thinking about inviting your parents anyway!"

I put my head in my hands and groan. My mom is _so_ going to scare Jace away. I peek up at him to try to gage how close to bolting for the door he is. Instead, I find him smiling and nodding along with what my mom is saying. Once she's finished he says, "That would be nice. Thank you."

My mom actually _squeals_ in delight and claps her hands together. "Wonderful!"

Luke looks at me and I try to send him silent messages to control my mom. It must work because he places a gentle hand on her arm. "Jocelyn, dear, don't you think we should let them get going?"

My mom sighs and nods. "Of course. Sorry, Clary. You kids have fun!"

I mumble a thanks and hurriedly stand up and usher Jace toward the door. Before I can get too far though, my mom grabs my arm and pulls me back. "I was right," she whispers. "He is cute!"

I groan and wrench my arm away. When I see the smirk on Jace's face I promptly throw away any thoughts that he may not have heard that. "Shut it," I hiss as I push the door open. He laughs and follows me out.

I shut the door behind us and heave a sigh of relief. Jace's smirk shifts into a genuine smile as we walk down the stairs and out the front door of my apartment. "You're family is nice," he says.

"They're something," I grumble.

Jace laughs. "And your mother thinks I'm cute? Not that I can blame her…" He lets his sentence trail off as he gestures towards his body.

I try and fail to hold back a laugh as I gently shove him to the side. When both of our laughter dies down I ask, "Where are we going?"

Jace runs a hand through his hair. I'm starting to notice that he does this when he's nervous. "Well, we can go wherever you want, but I was thinking that we could go to this diner down the street from here for lunch."

I smile. "Lead the way."

Jace starts walking. "You don't mind walking? It isn't that far from here, I promise."

I shrug. "A little walking won't kill me," I say. Not a second later I trip over my own feet and Jace has to catch me so I don't break my face.

He chuckles. "Are you sure about that?"

I glare at him and keep walking.

He was right about the diner not being far-it only takes us about five minutes to get there. I glance up at the neon sign that isn't lit due to the sunlight. It reads, "Taki's".

"It's weird that I live so close to this place but have never been here," I say as I walk through the door Jace held open for me.

Jace shrugs and leads me over to an empty corner booth. "Not a lot of people know about it. I only know about it because my cousin-blood cousin, not adoptive-waitresses here."

I nod just as a waitress drops off menus. "Can I get you guys anything to drink?" she asks. I glance up at her. Her nametag says, "Seelie".

Jace looks at me, letting me order first. "Uh, can I get a Coke, please?"

Seelie nods and pops the bubble she blew with her gum. "Sure. And for you, Jace?"

Jace looks down at his menu. "Water." She nods and walks away.

I cock an eyebrow at Jace. "She knows your name?"

Jace shrugs. "I come here a lot, and my cousin works here."

I nod and flip the menu open. "Is your cousin working right now?"

She shakes his head. "Nah, Kaelie only works on weeknights."

I scan the menu in front of me and don't recognize any of the options. I look up to see Jace smirking at me. "What?" I ask.

He gestures toward the menu. "They give all the options really weird names. What do you want and I'll tell you which one that is."

I think for a moment. "Um, a burger?"

He nods and leans across the table. "This one," he says and points to one of the items.

I smile at him. "Thanks."

He shrugs and sets his menu aside. He's silent for a moment, but then opens his mouth to say something. Before he can say whatever it is he was going to say though, Seelie walks over. She sets our drinks down and pulls out her guest pad. "Alright, what can I get you guys?"

I look at the menu and read off the item Jace told me was a burger. Jace says something and I have no idea what it is. Seelie scribbles our orders down and walks away.

I look at Jace expectantly and he takes a deep breath. "Can I ask you something, Clary?"

I nod. "Of course."

He runs a hand through his hair and them wrings his hands together. "Did you only agree to hang out with me because you felt bad for me? Or maybe because you felt bad lying to Isabelle?"

I tilt my head in confusion. "I agreed to hang out with you because I like hanging out with you. Why would I feel bad for you?"

He picks at one of his nails and focuses all of his attention on it. "I don't know. Some people do. I can tell because I walk by them and they watch me go by with looks of pity on their faces. I don't know why they pity me. Do you?"

I shrug. "Maybe they think something is wrong with you because you don't talk to anyone but Alec, Iz and I."

Jace looks up at me with curious eyes. "People think something is wrong with me because I'm quiet?"

I shake my head. "I don't know-I'm just guessing here."

Jace smiles at me. "Sorry. I just don't understand how people can pity me when they don't know the first thing about me."

I shrug. "If it makes you feel any better, I've never once pitied you."

Jace looks down at his hands again. "Yeah. That does make me feel better."

I smile. "Good. Now, let's not talk about sad things anymore, deal?"

Jace looks back up at me and smiles. "Deal."

We don't break our deal. We don't mention anything else sad for the rest of the day. During lunch, we laugh about silly things Max did. I get Jace to tell me a few embarrassing stories about Izzy as a child, just like I promised Simon I would. I tell Jace how Luke is planning to adopt me after the wedding. He says we could be adoption twins and I tell him that could be taken more than one way and get confusing. He agrees, so we scrap the whole idea.

After lunch we go for a walk in the park. When we get tired of walking we find a bench to sit on. It's out of the shade, which is good because it's November in New York. That means it's kind of cold.

We sit in silence for a few minutes and just take in the serenity. The air feels fresher around all these trees. Most of the leaves have fallen off the branches by now and cover the ground surrounding the trees.

I watch a squirrel scamper up a tree and smile to myself. Squirrels are kind of cute. I feel a pair of eyes on me and turn around to find Jace staring at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What?" I ask, still smiling.

He doesn't say anything, but he grabs my hands and faces forward again to watch a women pushing a stroller.

I give his hand a squeeze and look for more cute squirrels to watch.

* * *

At about four o'clock we figure that I should probably be getting home. Jace continues to hold my hand as we walk back to my house. This walk takes longer than the one to the diner because the park is further from my house. I don't mind.

On the way back we talk about school. It turns out that the main reason we have such different schedules is because he's taking all advanced classes. I never knew he was so smart. When I tell him this, he shrugs. "I would burry myself in books a lot as a kid."

We reach my apartment building and I tell him he doesn't have to walk me up to my door. He frowns a bit, but doesn't argue. He lets go of my hand and we both just stand there for a minute. He shoves his hands in his pockets. I shift my weight back and forth between my legs.

After a while the silence gets to be too much. "So, I'll see you Monday, right?" I say.

He nods and takes a small step toward me.

I rub my suddenly sweaty hands on my jeans. "Well, then…bye."

I take a step back, but Jace takes two steps forward. We both stand there for a moment. He leans down and wraps his arms around my torso. I hug him back almost immediately.

We don't embrace long. After a few seconds we both start to pull away. Before I can step away though, Jace leans back down and brushes his lips against my temple. He pulls back quickly and starts walking away. He calls a goodbye over his shoulder.

The second his car pulls away I run upstairs. Mom and Luke are both at the store, so I go straight to my room and lock the door. I flop down on the bed and stare at my ceiling as I try to figure out exactly when I developed a crush on Jace Lightwood.

* * *

**Again, thank you all for reading and reviewing and just being plain old AWESOME! Sorry, I'm feeling a bit overzealous and pumped up. I think it's because I listened to rock music the whole time I was typing this chapter. Anyway, I should be able to update tomorrow, but I can't make any promises. I have to start working out so I don't die on the first day of field hockey practice next week, lol. But, if you guys review this chapter as much (or more) as you did last chapter I can guarantee that I will update tomorrow. I'm not trying to bribe you guys, honestly. It's just that when my chapters get such a big response I feel guilty not updating. Really, you guys are bribing ME!**

**Sorry for rambling! :/**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! I hope you're all having a nice day! :) Thank you guys so much for the reviews, follows and favorites! So, a little background in this chapter for those of you who don't live in New York state. I have no idea how this stuff works in other states, let alone other countries, but in NY the regents are the state mandated tests at the end of the year. I don't know how to explain it any better than that, so if it's still not clear, I'm really sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instrumetnts.**

* * *

**Chapter 13:**

Jace is standing at my locker Monday morning. A smile tugs at his lips when he sees me walking toward him. "Morning, Clary," he calls once I'm in earshot. A few people around us turn and stare. I think they're shocked because it's the first time they've heard Jace's voice.

I walk up to Jace and spin in my combination. "Morning, Jace."

I watch from the corner of my eye as he looks me up and down. "No Isabelle outfit today?"

I laugh and start pulling out books. "Nope. Those require work and energy, which I am severely lacking this morning."

Jace laughs. "Between you and me, I kind of like this better."

I roll my eyes. "That's only because you don't have to punch anyone when I wear sweatpants."

Jace shrugs and I shut my locker. We walk down the hallway to my homeroom and I notice a few people staring at us. I don't mind and I don't think Jace even notices. Or maybe he's used to it. I would prefer the former.

I spin around at the door to my homeroom and smile at Jace. "Seriously, I appreciate your kindness, but you don't need to walk me to class every day. I think Sebastian learned his lesson."

Jace puts a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Clarissa Fray, are you trying to get rid of me?"

I roll my eyes and slap his arm lightly. "Bye, Jace."

He winks and says, "See you at lunch."

I turn and walk into my classroom just as the bell rings. Oops. Guess I made Jace late-again. I take my usual seat and tap Izzy on the shoulder. The announcements haven't started playing yet so people are still talking. Izzy turns around and smiles at me.

She opens her mouth-no doubt to ask me about what Jace and I did Saturday-but I start talking before she can. "Does Jace get in trouble for being late to homeroom?"

She shakes her head. "No, he has gym so he just sneaks in the back door of the locker room and changes super fast." She lets her words sink in for a moment and then says, "I only know that because I asked him. Why are you asking?"

I shrug. "I would feel really bad if I was getting him into trouble all the time."

Izzy rolls her eyes. "I don't think he minds." The announcements come on and Izzy turns back around to face forward, promptly ending that conversation.

Simon stretches his arms over his head and something lands on my desk. It's a folded up piece of paper. I unfold it and scan what it says. '_How was your date Saturday? ;)'_

I roll my eyes and scribble a response below it. '_Seriously, Simon? Passing notes? What is this, fourth grade?'_ I refold the piece of paper and slip it onto Simon's desk.

A minute later I hear him snort. Luckily, he takes the hint that I don't want to talk about the so-called "date" with him and he doesn't respond.

* * *

I sit down across from Jace at lunch and throw my head down on the table. "Clary?" Jace says tentatively. "Are you alright?"

I groan in response. Jace is silent for a moment, then I hear shifting and footsteps. I hear the legs of the chair beside me scrape across the floor as Jace pulls it out. He sits down and places a hand on my back. "Clary, what's wrong?"

I mumble something that sounds like 'myantealipain'.

Jace laughs softly. "Care to repeat that in English?"

I groan and lift up my head. "I _said_, I can't feel my brain."

Jace tries to hide his smile, but fails. "Well, it's a good thing you had a defective one to begin with."

I smile and roll my eyes. "Shut up. I just took this trig test that was beyond hard. I seriously think it was it's own level of Hell."

Jace's smile drops and he takes on a serious expression. "Do you have Imogen Herondale?"

I nod. "Yup."

He makes a sympathetic noise. "She's a real bitch. I remember last year, she told me I was failing even though I wasn't just to make me work harder."

I laugh. "What? I feel like teachers aren't allowed to do that."

Jace shrugs. "I would say the same thing if it didn't work, but it did."

"She just makes her tests ridiculously hard!"

Jace nods. "Yeah, but they make the regents seem super easy."

I shake my head. "No way. There is no way the trig regents can seem easy! I saw a girl last year come out of it crying!"

Jace smirks. "That's because her teacher wasn't Imogen Herondale."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. If you say her torment is worth it, then I trust you."

Jace's face pales. "You," he swallows. "You trust me?"

I give him a sideways look. "Um, yeah. Why wouldn't I? You're not some ex-criminal or something, right?" I try to make a joke to lighten the tension, but it doesn't really work.

He smiles a little, but it's obviously forced. "No, I'm not an ex-criminal."

I nod. "That's good. You wouldn't make it in prison." I look him up and down. "You're too pretty."

Jace's smile turns genuine. He bats his eyelashes. "Oh my gosh, you think I'm pretty?!"

We both laugh and the earlier tension is gone. I make a mental note to bring up trust as little as possible.

The rest of the week goes by without incident. Jace walks me to homeroom everyday, and he's only late half of the time. At lunch we sit together and we joke and laugh. I've come to realize, that once you break down his walls, he is actually kind of arrogant. He teases a lot at the expense of others, but I think that most of his arrogance is teasing as well. I think the arrogance is just a second set of walls he has built up to hide how he really feels. That doesn't mean I'm not seeing the real Jace, because I am, I'm just not seeing how the real Jace really feels.

At lunch on Friday Jace seems nervous. He's barely eating and keeps running his hands through his hair.

Probably the twentieth time he reaches up to tousle his messy hair, I reach out and grab his wrist. He locks eyes with me. "Alright, Jace. You're nervous and starting to make me nervous. Spit it out."

Jace takes a deep breath and I let go of his wrist. "Well, it's just that Max misses you."

I laugh. "I miss Max too. Why is that making you nervous?"

He clears his throat. "I'm not finished. Max misses you and tomorrow is family game night. Simon is coming and so is Magnus, so I thought, maybe, you would like to come?"

I smile. "That sounds fun. I'll be there."

Jace sighs in relief. "Great! We play after dinner, so be at my house by seven."

I nod. "Sounds good."

* * *

I'm in art, trying to sculpt a vase that doesn't look terrible. I work better in two dimensions than three. I jump out of my skin when someone throws down a slab of clay beside me. Alec plops down in the chair next to me and smiles. "Having trouble, Clary?"

I grumble incoherently. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. "Hey! You haven't even started yet!"

Magnus shrugs. He's the opposite of me-he's an amazing sculptor but only decent at drawing and painting. "It won't take me long."

I try my best to smooth out all the rough places, but it isn't working well. "What are you going to make?" I ask.

Magnus looks pensive for a moment. "I'm thinking about sculpting a cat in honor of my favorite feline, Chairman Meow."

I roll my eyes. Magnus and his freaking cat.

We both work in silence for a few minutes before Magnus decides to speak up. "I hear your going to family game night tomorrow."

I turn toward him. "How did you hear that?! Jace just asked me last period!"

Magnus laughs. "Seriously? He just asked you? Stupid procrastinator."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Magnus rolls his eyes. "He's been talking about asking you since Monday. He even made Izzy invite Simon and Alec drag me along so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable."

Now I'm more confused. "What?"

"Yeah, he asked his parents on Monday if you could come. When they said yes, he forced me and Simon to come. I can't believe he waited until now to ask you. He's such a procrastinator."

Huh. I smile to myself and continue to work on my vase in silence. Suddenly it's looking a lot smoother.

* * *

**So, I hope the part about the regents made sense. The NY state trig regents is actually super hard. This year, I really did see a girl come out crying. Anyway, I'll update tomorrow if I get some time, but I can't make any promises. Sorry! Please review and make me smile!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated the past few days! I've only had a little bit of time to write, and I really wanted to work on my novel because I have been serevely neglecting it to work on this fanfic. But, I have a tiny update for you guys today and I should have one for you tomorrow. So enjoy this chapter of the family game night!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments.**

**P.S. Sorry if there are any mistakes, but I need to get ready for work like, right now, so I don't have time to reread. Sorry!**

* * *

**Chapter 14:**

I knock on the Lightwoods door on Saturday night and rock back and forth on my heels while I wait for an answer. Simon had come over early and had dinner with the Lightwoods. I had been invited over for dinner too, but Luke and my mom wanted to have dinner with me so that we could discuss her wedding. She had asked me to be her maid of honor. I told her I would think about it and she flicked the back of my head.

The door opens and promptly brings me back to the present. Jace is standing in the doorway with a small smile playing at his lips. "Clary," he says with a nod.

I smile back at him. "Jace," I say, mimicking his tone and actions.

He opens the door further and I walk inside. Almost immediately I'm greeted with a pair of tiny arms being thrown around my waist. "Oof," I complain. "Hey, Max."

"Clary!" he says excitedly. "I've missed you!"

I laugh lightly. "I've missed you too, Max. How have you been?"

Max peels his arms off me and looks up at me with a big grin on his face. "I've been _so bored_! I ran out of new comics to read and I can only reread them so many times!"

I nod along to what he's saying. "Well, then maybe I'll just have to take you comic book shopping sometime. How does that sound?"

Max's face lights up. "Really? That would be awesome! Thanks, Clary!" He throws his arms around my waist and then runs off to tell his mom.

When he's gone, Jace walks up to me and says, "You really don't have to do that. He has tons of comics."

I shrug. "I don't mind. I've never had any siblings, let alone a younger one. Really, I think it will be fun."

Jace smiles softly. "Thank you, Clary. He's so much younger than us so we don't spend a lot of time with him. He really appreciates you. We all do."

I feel a blush creeping onto my face. "Seriously, stop making such a fuss. It's nothing."

A call from the living room brings us out of our own private world. It's Magnus saying, "If you two lovebirds don't get your butts in here right now, we're starting Monopoly without you!"

Jace rolls his eyes.

"Wait," I say. "Does he mean us?"

Jace just shrugs and grabs my hand. He leads me into the living room where Max, Simon, Izzy, Alec and Magnus are huddled around a game board. I take a seat in between Simon and Jace.

Magnus throws his hands up. "Took you long enough!"

I roll my eyes and Jace says, "Just deal out the money, Magnus."

* * *

"Fork it over, loser!" Max yells at Alec. Alec had just landed on a railroad, which he owned all four of.

Alec groans and counts out the money. He hands it over to Max and looks sadly at his dwindling pile of cash. He by far has the least out of all of us. Izzy starts to take her turn and rolls the die. Everyone's attention is on her, but I'm still watching Alec look sadly at his cash. That is why I am the only one to notice Magnus slip him a couple hundred dollars. "Hey!" I exclaim. "Cheater!"

Magnus doesn't have the most money out of all of us-Jace does-but he is a close second.

Everyone follows my gaze to see Magnus's hand frozen above Alec's stack of cash. "Magnus!" Izzy says disapprovingly. "That's cheating!"

Magnus shrugs. "No, it is a loan. I was going to take the money back once Alec got back on his feet."

I roll my eyes. "Sure you were."

Jace grins mischievously beside me. "As punishment for attempted cheating, you must equally distribute half of your cash to all the other players."

Magnus's jaw drops to the floor. "You're kidding!"

I shake my head. "'The law is hard but it is the law,'" I quote.

Everyone stares at me blankly. "What the hell is that?" Alec says.

"Alec!" Isabelle chastises with a pointed look at Max.

Alec rolls his eyes with a sigh. "Sorry. What the _heck_ was that?"

I shrug. "My to-be-step-father owns a bookstore. I pick up really random quotes along the way."

Magnus groans really loudly and starts counting his money out loud. After the money is fairly distributed, he mumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like, "I hate you all."

* * *

At eleven o'clock we have to cut the game short. Max can't even keep his eyes open, and he made us promise that we wouldn't keep playing without him. We took a picture of the game board, wrote down what everyone had and promised Max we wouldn't change a thing and would continue the game next week.

Magnus and Alec settle themselves on the couch and pop in a movie. Apparently, Magnus has no curfew so he's going to stay a little longer and get some alone time. It makes me happy to see how in love they are.

Simon is starving and apparently can't make it home, so he and Izzy went into the kitchen to get him a snack before he left.

I have no reason to stay, so Jace walks me to my car. I lean against the door and fold my arms over my chest. He shoves his hands in his pockets and kicks at the ground with the toe of his shoe. "Magnus told me that you've been planning this all week."

Jace looks up at me and smiles. "I told you Max missed you."

I smirk at him. "Uh-huh. _Max_ missed me."

Jace shrugs. "What can I say? You are a likeable person."

I laugh. "Thank you."

Jace shifts his weight back and forth. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

I nod. "Me too. I've never seen Alec so outspoken."

Jace laughs loudly. "Yeah, he is pretty competitive."

I laugh too. Jace's laugh is too contagious. "Thanks for having me over."

Jace takes a step toward me. "You're always welcome here, Clary."

I rub my hands up and down my arms to try to warm them from the sudden cold. "I should really get going…"

Jace takes another step toward me.

"I'll see you Monday."

Jace takes another step toward me and now he is only a few inches away from me. I can feel his warm breath on my frozen cheeks.

I open my mouth before I can stop myself. "Why did you stop going out on weekends?"

I expected Jace to take a step back and go back into his shell, but he doesn't. He looks into my eyes and says, "I've got better things to do now."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Like what?"

"Spend time with people who are important to me. I don't need those stupid girls anymore."

I'm about to say something else, but the front door opens and Simon walks out. "Clary?" he calls. "You're still here?"

Jace takes a step away from me and I clear my throat. "I'm leaving now," I say.

Simon nods and starts toward his car. I open my car door and turn back to Jace. "I'll see you Monday, Jace."

Jace nods. "Goodnight, Clary."

I shut the door and drive home in silence. I tried turning the radio on, but it was way too loud. At the same time, the silence is too loud in a different way. Now my thoughts scream at me and bounce around inside my skull. Jace was different tonight. I feel like tonight, I got to see behind the both of his walls that he's built up.

It's started to rain, but the sound of the pouring rain against my windshield only lulls me deeper into my thoughts. Did Jace mean me when he was talking about people that are important to him? And why was he standing so close to me? It almost looked like he wanted to-

I hear a loud noise and then my head hits something hard. Everything goes black.

* * *

**Sorry about the cliffhanger! I am 99% sure I'll be able to update tomorrow though! So, please please review!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	15. Chapter 15

**EVERYONE CALM DOWN! Hahaha, sorry, but I need to give you guys a little spoiler just so that you guys don't kill me or freak out or anything. Okay, here it goes: In this story, or any future stories I write, no character will get amnesia. Also, there will be no teen pregnancies in anything I write. No offense to those of you who like that stuff, but I personally think those two things are cliche and often ruin perfectly good stories. Again, no offense to those of you that like that stuff-to each their own and all that-but this is my story, so I can assure you that that will not happen. ANYWAY...you guys are seriously the best people EVER! My last chapter got like 23 reviews! I'm over ten reviews per chapter now! Well, not including this chapter...But, really you guys rock! Your support means a lot to me and really boosts my confidence. I've been pretty nervous because I signed up to take two online creative writing classes this year and I'm not sure how it's going to go. You guys have made me feel way better about that. Thank you! I think you guys will REALLY like this chapter ;)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own these chartacters.**

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**Chapter 15:**

My eyes are only open for a second before I squeeze them shut again. I don't know where I am, but it is _way_ too bright. I throw an arm over my eyes to help block out the light. "Ugh," I groan. "The lights!"

I hear a faint laugh beside me and some shuffling as someone moves. "Sorry, honey," my mom says. After another moment she says, "They're off now, you can open your eyes."

I hesitantly peek one eye open and see that it is remarkably darker in here. There is a little bit of sunlight coming through the window so we can see, but other than that it's dark in the room. "Thanks," I say. I look around and take in my surroundings. Pale walls and a white ceiling. A TV that no one is watching. A faint beeping noise in the background. I sit up and start to panic. "Mom? Why am I in a hospital?!"

My mom puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder and sits on the side of my bed. I immediately calm down. "Honey, you were in a bit of a fender bender. Nothing serious, though. In fact, you wouldn't even be in here, but your air bag didn't deploy, so you hit your head on the steering wheel. You have a minor concussion."

"The other car?"

My mom gives my shoulder a squeeze. "Not even minor whiplash."

I breath a sigh of relief. "Mom, I'm really sorry-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Were you drinking?"

I blanch. "What? Of course not! I was at the Lightwood's family game night! You know that!"

She nods. "I know, I just wanted to make sure."

"Mom, look, I know we don't have great insurance so I'll cover the cost with the money I made over the summer."

My mom gives me a sad smile. "It's fine, honey. Really, our insurance isn't that bad and the cars made out pretty well. You weren't really going that fast when you hit the stopped car, so that helped."

I run a hand through my tangled hair. "It was raining, and I guess I was tired or something. I don't know. I just got caught up in my head and I didn't see the car."

My mom does that sad smile thing again. "That's the other thing that'll help with insurance. It was technically the other cars fault because they didn't have their lights on."

I sigh in relief again. "Good. Well, not good, but you know what I mean."

My mom reaches behind her and grabs something. My phone. "You're phone was ringing like crazy this morning. Then I called Simon and told him what happened, and I guess he told your friends. I think they're actually in the waiting room. Is there anyone you want me to send in?"

I shrug. "Who's out there?"

My mom ponders the question for a moment. "Let's see, last I checked it was Simon, Magnus, and all the Lightwood children. Luke was here all night, but then he had to go open the store and get Maia set up to run it for the day."

I nod. "You can send them all in, but in like two or three groups. I don't think my head can process that many people at once."

My mom pats my shoulder and walks out of the room. Not a minute later Izzy, Simon and Max come running in. Max runs right up to me and wraps his arms around me with surprising force. I gently hug him back. After a minute he pulls back and looks me in the eyes. I feel awful when I see that he had been crying recently. "You scared me, Clary!" he says sternly.

"You had us all scared," Izzy says.

My shoulders sag. "Sorry, guys. I'm fine though, really. My mom said just a minor concussion."

Simon nods. "We heard. You may even get released today."

I smile. "Thank God." I hate hospitals.

Simon takes Max's place and gives me a tight hug. He looks me sternly in the eyes and tells me to be more careful. I roll my eyes. Izzy is next and I can see she's trying to hide how worried she was. I hug her back tightly and whisper, "I'm fine, Iz. Really." She gives me a small smile and they all leave so the next group can take their turn.

Once they're gone, I feel my self hoping Jace walks through the door. For some reason, his face is the face I want to see most right now.

The door opens and Alec and Magnus walk in. Magnus walks right up to my bedside and blatantly glares at me. "What?" I ask.

"If you weren't in the hospital right now, I would seriously slap you."

I throw my hands up, then wince because it pulls on the IV needle stuck in my hand. "It wasn't my fault that the guy didn't have his lights on! I'll admit, I wasn't _totally _paying attention, but it isn't only my fault."

Magnus rolls his eyes and then gives me a hug. He takes a step back and Alec walks up next to me. Out of all the Lightwoods, I'm the least close with Alec. He looks extremely uncomfortable. Finally he says, "You really scared him, Clary." I don't know who he's talking about, but before I can ask he gives my arm a pat. "I'm glad you're okay," he says before he and Magnus walk out.

Once they're gone I watch the door and wait for it to open again. Jace has to come see me. My mom said he was out there. I start to lose hope after a few minutes, but then the door opens and Jace steps through. He locks eyes with me and doesn't look away as he shuts the door behind him. We're both silent as he crosses the room. He sits on the side of my bed and continues to stare into my eyes. The silence is starting to get to me. I open my mouth to say something, but he shakes his head.

Slowly, hesitantly, he lifts one hand to cup the side of my face. He rubs his thumb across my cheek and lets out a shaky breath. I let my eyes flutter closed in content. My eyes are closed so I don't see him lean into me. I open my eyes in surprise when I can feel his breath on my lips. He's only an inch away from me, maybe even less. I close my eyes again and he lightly brushes his lips against mine. It's not much of a kiss, but it still gets my heart racing. The heart monitor starts beeping faster and it takes it several minutes to go back to normal. Jace pulls back a few inches and we both open our eyes. "Don't scare me like that again, okay?" Jace whispers.

I nod my head, almost too dazed to speak. "Okay," I whisper back.

I don't know where my mom went, but she doesn't come back until dinnertime. Jace and I spend the day together. We watch old reruns of shows on the small television in the room. He tells me that Simon tried calling me last night, but couldn't get a hold of me. He still couldn't this morning when my mom called him and told him I had been in a minor accident and was in the hospital for observation. Simon called Isabelle as he raced over here and Isabelle had opened her big mouth and told the entire Lightwood family. Max had almost immediately started crying and he begged them to take him with them to the hospital. Alec had called Magnus because he knew that Magnus and I were close. They all got to the hospital just as Luke was leaving. They caught him on his way out and he told them what was going on.

At about 4:30, my mom walks into the room with a nurse. She looks happy and not at all surprised to see Jace sitting on the bed with me, holding my hand. "Good new, Clary!" she says. "The nurse is going to take your vitals and as long as everything looks good, you're free to leave."

I sigh happily. "Good. I'm ready to go home and shower."

My mom and Jace laugh as the nurse walks over the heart monitor. She scans through the days data. At one point she lifts her eyes and looks between Jace and I with a smirk on her face. I can feel myself blushing. Jace gets up off the bed when she takes my blood pressure and all that. After a few moments she tells me I'm free to leave and starts unhooking anything I'm attached to.

The nurse tells me the I can leave as soon as I'm dressed, gives my mom a pain medication prescription to fill and walks out. Jace tells me to call him when I can and leaves with a kiss on my cheek.

My mom lifts an eyebrow at that, but doesn't say anything. She hands me a bag with clothes that she had packed for me today. Oh, so _that's_ where she was.

I quickly get dressed and scan the room to make sure I have everything. Once I'm sure that I have everything I need, I walk out of the hospital.

Luckily my mom had brought me sun glasses because it's really bright outside, and the bright light kills my head. We walk to the car in silence. As soon as we're both inside though she says, "I guess I know where those extra sandwiches are going." I don't respond, but we both smile at each other.

* * *

**Was I right? Did you guys like this chapter? Did I reassure you by not making Clary lose all her precious memories of Jace? Let me know! An update tomorrow is possible, but not guarenteed. Please review!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	16. Chapter 16

**Guys, I am SO SORRY that this is kind of a late update and that it's a really short chapter. I'm having a major case of writers block with this story! As a side effect of that, my chapters may be a little short and uneventful until I can cure my writers block. Again, I'm super sorry :(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments.**

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**Chapter 16:**

My alarm goes off loudly Monday morning and I immediately groan in pain. I blindly swat my hand in its general direction until I manage to turn it off. Someone softly knocks on my door and my mother steps in. She smiles meekly at me. "Hi, honey. How are you feeling?"

I rub a hand over my sleepy eyes. "Well, that loud alarm didn't do my head any favors."

My mom nods understandingly. "Why don't you take today off and sleep. If noises and lights are still bothering you then school will just be hell."

I nod and lay back down. My mom kisses my forehead and walks away with a small smile. It doesn't take me long to fall back asleep.

* * *

I wake up and take in the light filtering into my room. It's long past sunrise. Glancing at my alarm clock I see that it's 11:00. Wow. I slept for another five and a half hours. I get up slowly and stretch out. I suppose I should get something to eat since I would normally be heading to lunch soon and I still haven't ate breakfast.

I pull a sweatshirt on and pad downstairs. I have to admit that my head does hurt less now that I've slept for a while. Actually, my head feels so much better that I have the ambition to make myself some pancakes. I pull out the ingredients and set to work.

About ten minutes later I sit down in front of the TV with a small stack of pancakes in my lap and a cup of coffee on the end-table next to me. I flip on the TV and try to find something decent to watch. After a while I decide on some sitcom from the 90s.

I eat my breakfast-or lunch, rather-and relax for about an hour. Then I decide I should go clean up the kitchen so my mom doesn't have to when she gets home. That takes me about twenty minutes, then I'm back on the couch again, trying to decide what to do. I could watch a movie. After all, Mom and Luke won't be home for several hours so I have plenty of time to kill.

I pop in a Disney movie-I always get the urge to watch Disney movies when I'm home sick-and lay on the couch with a big blanket covering me. I fall asleep before the previews are over.

* * *

I jump up and almost fall off the couch when I hear a loud banging on our front door. I walk hesitantly towards it. I know it isn't Mom or Luke, because they both have their keys with them. Traveling salesmen rarely stop by here. I stand up on my tiptoes and look through the peephole.

I jump back and fling the door open. "Jace?" I say, surprise lacing my voice.

He smiles a little shyly at me. "I brought you the work you missed," he says innocently as he holds up a stack of books and papers.

"Oh," I say, again surprised. "Thanks. Do you want to come in?"

Jace shrugs, but walks through the door anyway. He takes in the room. His eyes pass over the couch with the blanket bunched up on it, the television playing the very end of _Lilo & Stitch_, and even my messy hair and sweatpants. He smiles warmly. "How are you feeling?"

I walk over to the couch and sit down. He does the same. "I wasn't feeling too great this morning, but then I slept a bunch and I'm feeling better."

Jace nods. "Good. Do you think you'll be in school tomorrow?"

I nudge him playfully in the side. "You just miss someone hand delivering your lunch."

Jace laughs. "No, but I do miss you."

I blush and look down at my hands with a goofy grin on my face. "Why did you bring me my work instead of Simon? We have none of the same classes. It must have been a real pain for you."

Jace shrugs. "I don't mind. Simon was going to do it, but I told him I wanted to see you."

I smile at him. "Well, thank you."

We're both silent for a while. Jace is squinting at the TV. "I've never seen this movie. It looks…odd."

I blanch. "You've never seen _Lilo & Stitch_?!"

Jace looks blankly at me. "If that's what this movie is, then no I have not."

I reach for the remote and hastily rewind it at the fastest setting. "Well, then I sure hope you didn't have to be home anytime soon, because you're watching it."

Jace doesn't say anything, just smiles at me. As soon as we're back at the beginning, I hit play and lean back. Jace stares at me for a moment, then pulls me to him and wraps the blanket around us both. I lay my head on his chest and snuggle into his warmth.

Jace ends up loving the movie. He laughs at all the funny parts, takes on a serious expression at all the serious parts. When it's over, he even states that he wants a Stitch of his own. I tell him that unless he's an evil alien scientist or he personally knows one, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. He winks at me and says, "You don't know that I'm not."

I play into his game. "Well, this is an alien free household, so I must kindly ask you to leave."

Jace sighs dramatically. "You win. I, Jonathan Christopher Lightwood, am not an alien."

"Wait, you're first name isn't Jace?" I deadpan.

He rolls his eyes. "Of course not! It's a nickname. What kind of name is Jace?"

"An ugly one," I say.

Jace pouts at me. "That wasn't very nice."

I shrug. "I'm not a very nice person."

Jace grins wickedly. "Nope, you aren't."

"Hey!" I say.

He winks at me. "See? Not very fun is it."

I roll my eyes at him just as the front door opens. Jace scoots about an inch or two away from me as my mom and Luke walk in. My mom raises a questioning eyebrow at us, but Luke merely shakes his head and keeps on walking. "Hey, Mom," I say. "You remember Jace."

She nods slowly. "I do."

I clear my throat uncomfortably. "He dropped off my schoolwork and I asked him to stay for a movie. I was getting kind of lonely."

This seems to satisfy my mother because her features soften up. "Oh, well that is nice. Would you like to stay for dinner, Jace?"

Jace stands up and shakes his head. "No thank you, ma'am. My parents are expecting me home. It was nice seeing you again though."

My mother smiles at him. "You as well."

Jace turns toward me. "Bye, Clary," he calls. He walks past my mother and as soon as he's behind her back, he blows me a kiss.

I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. "See you tomorrow, Jace." He's out the door with one last wink.

My mother turns on me. "You seem to be feeling better."

I nod. "I slept a lot this morning and that seemed to help."

My mother pats my arm as she walks into the kitchen. "I'm glad to hear that. Do you think you'll be able to go to school tomorrow?"

As I listen to my mom I look longingly at the door Jace just exited. "Yeah," I say quietly. "I think I can manage."

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**By the way, I forgot to mention in the beginning of this how awesome you guys are! Last chapter got 24 reviews, which I think is the most so far. So, THANK YOU! Again, I'm really sorry about the lack of excitement and what-not :( Please forgive me? Feel free to leave suggestions for what you want to see, because that may help cure my writers block! Thanks guys!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! So, my writers block has slipped away enough to let me write this chapter! I did use a suggestion from you guys, but I can't really give anyone a shoutout for it because several people suggested it. But, I will give a shoutout to ALL OF YOU for being super awesoem and giving me tons of great ideas! I love you guys! I am really, really sorry if this chapter has msitakes, but I don't have time to proof read it because my laptop is going to die. Sorry! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI.**

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**Chapter 17:**

Tuesday is a long day. Few of my teachers show me sympathy and just keep piling work onto my load. By second period my head is already throbbing. I'll have about five hours of homework tonight. My head hurts worse at the thought of all that work.

I walk into lunch and flop down into the seat across from Jace. I don't even feel that bad when I skip greeting him and just put my head down. Not a second after I do this though, I hear his chair scrapping across the floor. I sense him sitting down in the chair to my right, but I still don't look up.

"Clary," he says gently. I turn my head slightly and peek one eye open at him. He frowns. "Not feeling good?" I shake my head and still don't look up. He puts a gentle hand on my back and rubs soothing circular patterns into it. I sigh in content. "I know your head hurts, but you should really eat something," Jace says quietly.

I lift my head up a little so I can shake my head and push my tray in his direction. "I'm not hungry," I say. It's true. This stupid concussion is making sick to my stomach.

Jace continues to rub my back. "You've gotten eat something, and you should definitely drink something; It will help." Jace pushes the tray back toward me and even opens the water bottle and places it in front of me.

I sigh in defeat. "Fine, but if I throw up I'm aiming for you."

Jace smirks, clearly pleased that he coaxed me into eating something. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

I pick at the sandwich in front of me, but do make an actual effort to drink the water. Jace had grabbed the chips off my tray and is chewing on them as quietly as he can. "My teachers are dumping a ton of work on me. I only missed one day! I mean, it isn't that much work, but it's kind of hard to concentrate so it seems like way more."

Jace makes a sympathetic face, which then turns thoughtful. "You know, if you want a quiet place to work you can come over to my house after school. Isabelle is going to Simon's house, Max has little league practice and Alec has some after school thing he always goes to. I think that's just code for him and Magnus making out somewhere, but I have no proof. Anyway, my point is that it would just be you and me, so the house would be really quiet, and I would be more than happy to help you work."

I smile warmly at Jace. "That would be really nice, but I really can handle the work. I just go slow is the only thing. Thanks though." Jace nods, looking a little down. I get an idea. "But, if that offer is still on the table to draw in that place in your yard, then that would actually really help my head."

Jace's face lights up. "Of course! You can come over right after school if you want."

I surprise us both when I wrap my arms around him quickly. I pull away before he can really respond though. He looks at me in shock. "What was that for?" he asks.

I shrug. "Being a really good friend."

Jace smiles, but there's another emotion in his eyes that I can't read. "Anything for you, Clary."

* * *

I knew how to get from my house to the Lightwoods', but I wasn't too sure on how to get there from the school-the slight confusion my concussion can produce from time to time also didn't boost my confidence-so I followed Jace there. It doesn't take as long to get to his house from the school as it does from my house, so the drive is relatively short.

I put the car in park and reach into my bag on the passenger seat to pull out my sketchbook. When I turn back around, Jace is standing there, having opened my door for me. I smile at him. "Why, thank you."

Jace gives a gallant bow and winks at me. I laugh at him and whack him lightly over the head with my sketchbook. I walk past him toward his front door. He grumbles something incoherent and jogs to get ahead of me so he can unlock the door. However, once it's unlocked he just stands there and doesn't open it. I give him a questioning look. He smirks. "I'm not opening anymore doors for you. You lost that privilege."

I roll my eyes and push past him, opening the door and immediately shutting it in his face. "Hey!" he yells as he opens the door. "You could've broke my nose."

I laugh. "You're being dramatic."

Jace sticks his bottom lip out in an attempt at a pout. "Apologize."

I fold my arms across my chest. "No."

He takes a step toward me and raises an eyebrow. "No?"

I stand my ground. "You heard me. No."

Jace take a few more steps forward and shakes his head. "You made me do this, Clary."

I'm about to say do what, but my words are cut off by my laughter. Jace had grabbed me and starting tickling me before I could even think about running away. I laugh hysterically and even snort a few times. "Stop!" I gasp. I try to wriggle away from him, but his grip on me is too tight. All I succeed in doing is slipping on his hardwood floor. Jace had been grabbing onto me, so he falls too. He manages to twist us just slightly, however, so that he doesn't land directly on top of me.

We both lay on the ground, laughing for a few minutes. When our laughter dies down, Jace turns his head to look at me. I do the same. "Do you want to go outside now?"

I nod. "I can't stay long because of all my homework." Jace stands up and extends a hand to help me up. I look at it as though it's a venomous snake. "No way. I don't trust you anymore."

For a second, Jace looks legitimately hurt. He flinches back as though I had physically hurt him. Then he seems to realize that I'm kidding and his trademark smirk is back in place. "Now, I'm pretty sure that isn't true, otherwise you wouldn't be willing to be here alone with me right now."

I roll my eyes and take his still extended hand. "Fine, you win. I trust you."

The genuine grin on his face makes my heart both swell and break at the same time. What had this boy gone though to truly cherish trust this much?

I grab my sketchbook from where it had fallen in our little tickling match and follow Jace out through his French doors. "Do I have to close my eyes again?" I ask.

Jace laughs. "I suppose not, if you want to ruin all the magic."

We walk over to the beautiful nook hidden away by the trees. The twinkle lights aren't on this time because it's light out. I sit down on the bench and look over at Jace. He looks uncomfortable and has his hands shoved in his pockets. "Aren't you going to sit down?" I ask.

He looks at me in surprise. "You want me to stay? I figured you would rather draw in peace."

I shake my head. "You won't bother me."

Jace smiles and sits on the bench next to me. I turn sideways so I'm facing him and my feet are propped on the bench next to his thigh. "What are you going to draw?" he asks.

I flip to a clean page and shrug. "I don't know. I'll just wait for inspiration to strike." Jace nods and looks uncomfortable again. "It may help something come to mind if I don't really think about it. Do you want to talk while I wait for it to come to me?"

Jace nods and we sit there in silence for a few moments. Finally, we start talking. Once we start talking, we don't stop. Even when I start drawing without fully realizing that inspiration had struck we continue talking. Jace tells me about all his classes, his favorite teachers. We talk about our favorite foods, our favorite movies and almost everything else under the sun.

When Jace doesn't immediately respond to something I said to him, I glance up at him. He's looking down at his phone with a crease between his eyebrows. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Jace looks up at me. "Nothing. I was just checking the time. It's 5:00. You should probably be getting home, right?"

I frown and nod. I've been here for two hours? It felt more like five minutes. Jace doesn't move to stand up and neither do I. "What did you draw?" he asks.

I look down at my drawing. I had been so lost in conversation with Jace that my hand had started drawing without my brain fully realizing it. Looking down now, I see that inspiration had struck hard. I had just drawn a picture of Jace with angel wings coming out of his back. I snap my sketchbook closed before he can see it. "It, uh, it's a surprise. I don't want you to see it until it's done." Not the best excuse ever, but Jace accepts it.

He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath before speaking rapidly. "Look, Clary, I really like hanging out with you. You get me better than my own siblings do. I feel comfortable around you. Hell, I even trust you." Again with the trust. "What I'm trying-and failing-to say is that I really like you. When I heard that you were in an accident, it scared the hell out of me. I was terrified. It made me realize that I really care about you. So, I was wondering if you wanted to do something Saturday night? You know, go on a real date, not something with my family and not something forced upon us both by Izzy and Simon."

I had been nodding since he said, "So, I was wondering…" I smile at him once he shuts his mouth. "Yes," I say. "I would love to go on a date with you."

Jace beams and quickly leans over to press his mouth to mine. It's a kiss similar to the one we shared in the hospital-short, but incredibly sweet. He pulls back looking embarrassed. "I think I did this wrong. It usually goes first date, _then_ kiss."

I laugh and we both stand up. "Not wrong, just different." I take a step closer to him. "I like different."

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**I hope you guys liked this chapter! As a reward for you guys being awesome and being patient with me I made this chapter a BIG Clace chapter. Let me know what you thought, and my writers block is sadly still there, so more suggestions would be great! Thanks guys!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**

**P.S. I have a few TMI oneshot ideas floating around in my head, including the Max POV one to accompany this story. The only problem is, they're a little out there so I have no idea if they will be any good or if people will be interested :/ Not sure if I should write them.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone! Thank you guys for all your AMAZING ideas! Seriously, what did I do to deserve your guys' support? I actually didn't really use any of your guys' ideas in this chapter (unless I overlooked a review, in which case feel free to call me out) but I plan on using some of your ideas in future chapters! Thank you again and enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI. All rights go to Cassandra Claire.**

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**Chapter 18:**

Jace and I had finalized our plans at lunch on Friday. Throughout the whole conversation he had run his hands through his hair a total of six times. I'm not sure if I like that I make him so nervous or not.

Now it's Saturday and Jace will be here to pick me up any minute. I check my appearance in the mirror one more time. Jace said wear sneakers, so I have on my old converse. Along with those, I'm wearing a pair of dark gray skinny jeans and a deep red v-neck t-shirt. To top it all of, I grab the leather jacket that Izzy bought me and slip it on as I walk out the door.

I'm walking into my living room just as there's a knock on the door. Luckily my mom and Luke are already down at the store so I don't have to battle them to get to the door first. I grab my wallet and keys off the counter and open the door. Jace is standing behind it, casually leaning against the frame. He's wearing faded blue jeans and a green button up shirt, it's sleeves rolled up to his elbows. My God, is he gorgeous.

I suddenly realize that I may have been staring for a bit too long. I would be embarrassed, but Jace is wearing an expression similar to mine as he drags his eyes up and down my body. I clear my throat uncomfortably. "Ready to go?" I ask in a weak voice.

Jace's eyes snap up to meet mine. Slowly, he shakes his head as if to clear it. "Uh, yeah."

I step out into the hallway and close and lock the door behind me. I turn back to Jace and see that he is much more composed now. "Where are we going?" I ask.

Jace winks at me and takes my hand. "That, my dear, is a surprise."

I groan. "I hate surprises! They make me nervous."

Jace makes that adorable fake pouting face. "What? Don't you trust me?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course I do."

Jace grins wickedly. "Then trust me on this-you have _nothing_ to be worried about."

Ten minutes later, when we arrive at our destination, I start to seriously doubt him. "Jace?" I say tentatively. "Why are we at the school? Won't we get in trouble for being here on a Saturday?"

Jace shrugs and ignores the first part of my question. "Not if you let me do the talking if we run into anyone."

I suppress a groan. Jace may not talk much, but he can have a way with words when he wants to. The only problem is, his "way with words" usually gets him into more trouble.

Jace sneaks glances over each shoulder to make sure no one is looking, then he opens a back door to the school and ushers me inside. He shuts the door behind us and puts a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet.

I worry my bottom lip and silently follow him as he leads me through the maze of half lit halls. Finally he stops at a door that looks vaguely familiar, but I can't put my finger on why. "Wha-" I start to ask, but Jace holds another finger to his lips.

"Surprise," he whispers.

I sigh and go back to following him in silence. We walk through the door and up a pair of stairs. This is starting to feel more and more familiar, but I still can't figure out exactly why.

When the stairs end at another doorway Jace pauses. "Close your eyes," he says. "I won't let you fall," he quickly adds before I can protest.

I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut. Jace grips both my hands firmly in his. The only way I know he opened the door is because I soon feel a soft breeze on my cheeks and I can sense that it just got a lot brighter. I remember why this place is so familiar now. The roof.

Jace instructs me to keep my eyes close and I oblige. He gently leads me up the remaining stairs and out the door. Once I'm outside Jace stops. "Wait right here and keep your eyes shut," he instructs.

I do as he says and listen as he moves something behind me. It sounds like he's propping the door open. Not a second later, I feel his warm hands on my hips. His breath is warm on my ear as he leans down to whisper, "Open your eyes, Clary."

I do as he instructs and gasp in surprise. He's laid out a blanket across the roof and sitting on it is a big basket with a couple plates and a bouquet of flowers. I don't know if it's just a coincidence thanks to the timing of the janitors or if it's Jace's doing, but there are potted plants scattered sporadically throughout the expanse of the roof.

I must stay quiet for too long because I feel Jace shifting his weight behind me. "Is it too much? Izzy told me it may be too much but…," he pauses to take a deep and I spin around. "I don't know. I don't think there can ever be too much when it comes to you," he finishes in a quiet voice.

I don't respond and I don't hesitate. I swiftly close the distance between us and stand up on my tiptoes to crash my lips to his. He teeters back in surprise for a moment, but then he quickly rights himself. He bends down a little so I don't have to stretch so much to kiss him. He wraps his arms tightly around my waist and brings me closer to him. This isn't like our other two kisses. Those were sweet and fleeting. This is passionate. This kiss is filled with all the emotion we feel for each other and then some. My fingers tangle into the hair at the nape of his neck and Jace presses his hands into my back to pull me closer.

When we both pull away, breathing heavily, I swear I can see Jace's eyes smoldering. A smirk tugs at his lips. "So…you like it?"

I laugh loudly and swat his arm playfully. "I love it," I say.

Jace's grin turns more sincere. "Good. We should probably eat then, because I'm hungry."

I laugh again and walk over to the blanket with Jace. "What's in the basket?" I ask, praying he won't tell me it's another surprise.

Instead, he grins devilishly from ear to ear. He opens the lid and I peer inside. "Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

I feel my mouth drop to the ground. "Jace! There must be at least twenty sandwiches in here! How hungry _are_ you?"

Jace rolls his eyes. "I didn't make all these for me. They're for you."

I blanch. "Me? Jace! I can't eat all these!"

He's grinning again. "Well of course not. Not right now at least."

I give him a skeptical look. "What are you talking about?"

His grin turns a little sheepish. "Well, I just figured I owed you for all those sandwiches you would bring me at lunch. Whatever we don't eat are yours to take and bring home."

My heart breaks a little at the sincerity of his words. "Jace," I say softly. "You don't owe me. The sandwiches are really no big deal. Besides, I will never be able to eat all these."

Jace shakes his head. "You don't get it."

I sigh and scoot closer to him. "Then explain it to me. Why didn't you eat lunch before I brought it to you, Jace?"

Jace looks up and runs a hand through his hair. I grab both his hands and hold them in my lap so that he can't keep mussing up his hair. Finally he meets my eyes, but not for long. He takes a deep breath and then looks down as he explains. "The Lightwoods adopted me when I was eight years old," he says quietly. I lean forward to make sure I can hear him. "You don't know how much that meant to me. They took me in and treated me as their own without a second thought. At Christmas I had just as many presents as Izzy and Alec. I got just as much money for back to school clothes." Jace's hand twitches in mine, as though he's trying really hard not to run a hand through his hair. "But none of that was what I really cared about. I was just so grateful that they took me in." Jace laughs without humor. "I would probably still be bouncing around between foster homes if it wasn't for them. But they would never let that happen, so they took me in before I even spent one night in a foster home." Jace squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them back up to look at Clary. "I knew I would forever be indebted to them for saving me from that. I knew that I would owe them forever, but I didn't know how to repay them. So, I figured I would make their life as easy as possible. I tried to spend as little of their money as possible." He smiles weakly. "This probably sounds stupid to you, but I even didn't take a lunch because I didn't want to cost them extra money."

I blink back the tears that had formed in my eyes. Here he is-the real Jace. Gone are both sets of walls. Jace is vulnerable right now, but he doesn't seem to mind. In this moment-the moment I finally meet the real Jace-I finally realize that I'm in love with him. "Jace," I whisper. His eyes are so pained, I have to do something to make it better. I scoot even closer to him so that our knees are touching. I release his hands and move mine so they cup his face. We lock eyes. "The Lightwoods love you more than anything. They're your family, Jace. You don't need to feel like you owe them. They love you and I'm sure they couldn't imagine a life without you." Jace squeezes his eyes shut. "Don't feel like your indebted to them, because they sure as hell don't feel that way. Jace-"

Jace doesn't open his eyes. "Shut up."

I flinch back from him. "What?"

Jace's eyes slowly open. "Shut. Up."

I drop my hands from his face. "I'm sorry-"

Before I can even blink Jace grabs my hands and pushes me back onto the blanket so that he's hovering over me with my hands pinned above my head. "I _said_, shut up," Jace says in a husky voice.

I nod and Jace crashes his lips onto mine.

We spend the rest of the afternoon talking, eating and kissing. When the sun begins it's descent into the horizon we pack our things up and walk back to Jace's car. We hold hands the whole way and giggle about inside jokes we now have. We talk about nonsensical things. Things that don't matter. Jace teases me and I tease him right back. After one particularly sassy comment, he even threatens to throw me over his shoulder and carry me back to the car. I laugh and tell him he wouldn't dare, but when he lunges toward me I sprint back to the car.

Jace pulls up in front of my building and we turn toward each other. "Thank you for today," he says quietly.

I smile and hold up the plate filled with sandwiches. "And thank _you _for this week's lunch for the both of us."

Jace smiles and shakes his head in an exasperated way. "Oh, Clary," he says.

I laugh and relish the way he says my name. So full of love and happiness. I lean across the center console and hesitate with my lips an inch away from his. "Seriously, I had fun. Thank you."

Jace takes a shaky breath and stares at my lips as he mumbles a response.

I laugh and lean just a little closer. "I'll see you Monday?"

"Mmm," is his only response.

I decide that I've tortured him enough. I close the distance between us. Jace snakes a hand through my hair to hold me to him. I wrap my arms around his neck and he sighs into my lips.

After a few minutes or hours-it's hard to keep track of time when I'm with Jace-I pull back and smile sadly. "I really have to go. But I'll see you in school Monday."

Jace sighs. "If you must leave, then yes I'll see you Monday."

I laugh and peck him on the cheek. "Bye!" I call over my shoulder as I climb out of the car.

"Bye, Clary," Jace says in a quiet voice. He waits for me to be safely inside before he pulls away to go home with-hopefully-a newly cleared conscience.

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**Thank you guys for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought of the date! I know some of you said you wanted it to be all happy but...I think I made this work. Also, if you haven't already please check out the "oneshot" I posted the other day! I call it a "oneshot" but I'm pretty sure I'm going to turn it into a story once I'm finished with this one. I just can't let things go! Haha. Anyway, it's called "Jace Herondale as a Child." Be on the lookout for more oneshots from me, because I have a few more ideas floating around in my head!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	19. Chapter 19

**AHHH! I'M SORRY I SUCK! Seriously guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been super busy between summer work for school, field hockey and work-plus this stupid writers block-and I just haven't had time to update! I'm sorry! This chapter is really short, but I just wanted to get something to you guys! Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that this story is going to be wrapping up pretty soon. The climax is going to be in one of the next few chapters, so not many left! Again, sorry for the late update and short chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.**

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**Chapter 19:**

Our first date leads to many more. As the months go by, Jace and I spend almost all of our time together. For the most part our "dates" are just him coming over to my house after school, or vice versa. However, once in a while Jace pulls out all the stops and gives me a real date, each one more romantic than the last.

With each minute we spend together I see more and more of the real Jace that he works so hard to keep hidden. He starts to open up more, too. Sometimes he tells me things that make me want to cry. Like the day he tells me his birth parents are dead. I had kind of expected it, because it's rare that parents decide they don't want their eight year old anymore. Eight is a little old for parents to suddenly put a child up for adoption. So, I had known in the back of my mind that Jace's parents were more than likely dead, but it was still heart wrenching to hear the words escape his lips in a broken whisper.

Not everything Jace tells me about his life before the Lightwoods is bad though. On Halloween, Jace comes over to help me pass out candy to the kids and watch scary movies. My mom and Luke always stay at the store on Halloween because they do this tradition thing where they invite all the little kids in and read them "scary" stories.

Jace and I open the door to reveal a bunch of little kids in various costumes. They grin gap-toothed, crooked grins at us and yell "Trick or treat!"

We both put on our big-and somewhat fake-grins and comment on all the costumes respectively while we dump a handful of candy in each kids bag. A few mumble a thank you, but most just run away as soon as they have their candy. I shut the door behind me and laugh a little. I tell Jace that I miss Halloween as a kid. It all seemed so real back then.

Jace smiles and surprises me by saying, "Me too. You should see some of my costumes from when I was a kid! I was always the weirdest things."

We walk back to the couch, but I don't immediately resume the movie. "Like what?"

Jace laughs and thinks for a moment. "Oh!" he exclaims. "Like, when I was six I was a salt shaker. Just a salt shaker. My mom said that people may think it was odd because I have no pepper shaker with me, but I was adamant that I was going to be a salt shaker."

I laugh then stop abruptly when one of his words sticks out at me. "Wait, this was….when you were six?" I ask hesitantly. That would mean Jace was talking about his birth mother.

Jace nods. "Yeah. It's okay to ask, Clary. Yes, I was speaking about my birth mother and not Maryse."

I nod slowly. "So, your mother…what was she like?"

Jace takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. "Nice." he says simply. "She was one of the sweetest, kindest and most patient people to ever walk the earth."

I ponder what he's saying for a moment, then nod. "I wish I could've met her."

Jace pulls me closer to him with a sad smile. "Me too, Clary. Me too."

Occasions like Halloween don't happen very often though. I usually get a tidbit about his past once or twice a month. I've come to realize that Jace will only share about his past in certain conditions. For example, we must be alone. Jace will never talk about his past if Simon, or my mom, or even his family is around us. Also, he has to be happy. That may sound weird, but he's more open when he's in a good mood. So the day that Jace comes over to my house after school, all pissed because he failed a math test, I know he'll be extra quiet that day.

Now it's December and Christmas will be here in a few short weeks. My mom is beyond stressed out between Christmas and all her wedding planning. Almost every day she can be found running around the house or the store like a chicken with her head cut off. A few weeks ago she had sent out the invitations. She told me that she had invited the whole family, but Jace can still be my date. She also explained that she invited the whole family because Simon and Magnus were invited and probably would've brought Alec and Isabelle anyway.

I've been trying to help my mom with the wedding plans, but really I'm more of a hindrance than a help. Eventually she gives me some busy work that I can't possibly mess up and sends me off to get it done somewhere else so that she can work in peace. After a while I stop offering to help. She stops asking.

Now, I just let her work quietly in the kitchen or her bedroom while I sit on the couch and watch movies with Jace. I found out that _Lilo & Stitch_ wasn't the only Disney movie he hadn't seen, so I've now made it my mission to show him all of them.

Today we're watching _Cinderella_. I lay with my head in Jace's lap as he absentmindedly plays with my hair. I smile to myself as I listen to his steady stream of comments, all along the lines of him being better looking than Prince Charming, him being a better dancer than Prince Charming, etc. In this moment-right here, right now-I decide that it's the perfect time. I flip onto my back so that I'm staring straight into Jace's beautiful eyes. "Yes?" he says playfully.

"I love you," I say.

Jace grins down at me. "I love you too."

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**Please review! :)**

**Love always.**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	20. Chapter 20

**Guys, I am so sorry! I have been super busy and haven't had one second to update! Gah! Anyway, you guys are probably going to love and hate this chapter. Mostly hate. Oh boy. This chapter is super short, but I have a plan! I ended it where I ended it for a reason! Seriously though, be warned that you won't like me for this, and it will probably be another week before I can update. Between four hours of field hockey in the morning, work Wednesday through Sunday, and the fact that I still have a TON of summer work and school starts in a few weeks, I just can't find a lot of time to update. I just want you guys to know that I understand how much that sucks, and I am really sorry for that. However, this story is almsot over, so don't give up on me yet!**

**WARNING: This chapter and the next one or two contain sensative topics. If the issue of sucide bothers you, please don't read the next few chapters! I really don't want to upset anyone! If you cannot bring yourself to read them, but still want to know what happens, feel free to PM me and I will let you know in a more sensative way.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI or it's many wondeful characters.**

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**Chapter 20:**

"I am _not _watching some stupid chick flick!" Jace says with a glare in Isabelle's direction.

"Well, I'm not watching some stupid zombie movie!" Isabelle yells back.

Jace, Izzy, Simon and I are sitting in the Lightwood's living room, and Jace and Izzy are in a heated debate over which movie to see. We had all (i.e. Izzy) wanted to go on a double date, and when someone suggested we go to the movies, a debate ensued.

I groan in frustration. "Why don't Jace and I go see the zombie movie and Simon and Izzy can go see whatever they want. We can go out for ice cream or something after so that it's still a double date. Deal?"

Jace gives me a huge smile. "Deal," he says with a kiss on my cheek.

Simon is rubbing his temples as though he has a headache. "I don't care."

Izzy agrees-albeit somewhat reluctantly-and we all head out to our cars. We decide that we will drive separate because the movies have different end times. Jace climbs into the passenger seat of my car and we pull out after Izzy.

After a minute of driving in silence I turn to Jace to find him staring at me. "What?" I ask.

His crooked grin makes an appearance. "You amaze me. You know exactly how to handle Izzy."

I laugh. "Oh, come on! She isn't that bad!"

Jace shakes his head. "Try living with her. She has to be right, and if you try telling her otherwise, it gets ugly." I start to laugh again, but Jace holds up a hand to silence me. "When she was eleven, she broke Alec's arm."

I stop smiling. "Okay, maybe she can be a bit dramatic," I concede as I pull into a parking space.

Jace laughs and opens his door. "You don't know the half of it," he tells me over the roof of the car.

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The movie sucks, but I don't mind because Jace seems to really be enjoying it. After about twenty minutes, I decide I would have more fun watching Jace get into the movie than I would watching the actual movie.

I sit there for a few minutes, just watching Jace's various reactions out of the corner of my eye. However, when I see him stiffen and clench the armrest to the point that his knuckles turn white, I decide to turn back to the movie to see what has made him react this way.

On the screen are two people. One-the woman-has a gun to her head and she's visibly crying. The other-a man-appears to be pleading with her. From what I can figure out, she's infected and is going to kill herself before the zombie disease can reach her brain. Sure, the scene is a little disturbing, but I don't see anything that would cause Jace to react like that.

I turn back to Jace and find him sitting as stiff as a board, his eyes clenched shut and his hands shaking. I put a gentle hand on his arm. "Jace?"

Jace's eyes snap open and he jumps up, promptly knocking the popcorn onto the ground. His hands are shaking even harder now. "I-I," he stutters. "I gotta go." He runs out of the theater without further explanation.

I scramble to my feet and quickly follow after him. I burst out of the theater just in time to see him sprinting into the men's room. Damn society's stupid gender segregation! I could wait for him to come out, but I know that isn't a good idea. Jace was _not _okay, and I need to get to him. Now.

I run over to the door and start pounding on it. "Jace!" I yell. I'm glad no one is in the lobby to see this, or else security might be called. "Jace! Open up!" I yell. When my pounding continues on for another minute without a response, I take action. No one had responded to my yelling and pounding, so the bathroom must be empty except for Jace. I hope.

I take a deep breath and push the door open. I quickly scan the bathroom. My hand flies to my mouth. "Jace!" He's laying on the floor, clearly unconscious. "Jace!" I run over to him and fall on my knees beside him. I know you aren't supposed to shake an unconscious person, but I honestly don't give a shit right now. I shake Jace's shoulders, but he isn't waking up. "Dammit!" I growl. I quickly take out my phone and call Isabelle. She doesn't answer. Of course not-she's in the movies.

There is only one other number I can think of to call. I take a deep breath and dial.

"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"

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**Am I right? Do you hate me? I hope not :( Oh! On a brighter note, I am a HUGE fan of the Vampire Academy series. If you are as well, please stay tuned! So, the first movie was a huge flop in the box office, which usually means no sequel. HOWEVER, the producers said, wow, there's a huge fanbase for this! Why don't we try again? So, they got most of the funding and stuff, but they said that they just need to see that us fans are in support! All we have to do is raise $1.5 million by Sept. 5. Follow the link on my page for more information!**

**Please don't hate me!**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello all! Thank you guys so much for your lovely reviews and your outstanding patience. Seriously, you guys are the best! :) So, as an apology for that mean cliffhanger I left you guys with last time, I have provided you with a long chapter-longest yet-where all your questions will be answered! (wink wink, nudge nudge) Anyway, this story is quickly wrapping up :( Once I finish this story though, I think I'm going to continue the "oneshot" I wrote, Jace Herondale as a Child, and turn it into a full story! That will be super exciting and I'm pumped because my head is already swimming with ideas for it! Yay! I'll stop talking now and let you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned The Mortal Instruments, I would ****_not_**** be working the minimum wage job that I do now. Trust me.**

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**Chapter 21:**

I have to hold the phone with two hands to keep it steady, for my hands are shaking terribly. I clear my throat and pray my voice won't come out too hoarse. "I'm in the men's bathroom in the movie theater on 32nd street, and my boyfriend is unconscious." My voice shakes, but is luckily still understandable.

"Okay, honey," the woman on the line says. "I'll send an ambulance. Just stay calm and don't move him okay? The paramedics will come find you. Don't panic."

I close my eyes and talk a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Okay." My voice sounds a little stronger.

"Do you need me to stay on the line with you?"

I take another breath, calming as the oxygen fills my lungs and travels to my brain. "No. No, I'll be okay. Thank you."

"Good luck." She hangs up.

Now it's just Jace and I, alone in this silent bathroom. The silence is so overbearing for me in my panicked state that I feel this obsessive need to fill it. I know Jace can't hear me, but I talk to him anyway. "You're going to be fine, Jace," I say as I stroke a few stray golden locks out of his face. "You're fine. I don't know what happened to you, but the doctors are going to fix it. They're going to get you out of this bathroom and off of this disgusting floor and then they're going to make you better. You're going to be better. You're going to be fine. And then once you're fine again, we will never come back to this godforsaken movie theater." I don't know if rambling is the best thing for me when I'm trying to stay calm, so I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I still need to fill the silence, but I really don't want to ramble on and on about nothing.

"I'm going to tell you a story. Okay, Jace?" I pause as if waiting for a response, even though I know one won't come. "One day, when I was six years old, my mom and Luke took me to central park." I don't know why I chose this story; it was just the first thing that came to mind. "I hadn't been before. I was amazed, because I had never seen so many trees in one place. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. My mom and Luke took me on a walk all around the park. When we got to a pond, my mom and Luke took a break to sit down on a bench near it. I saw something move in it, so I ran over it to examine it. I was six, so my mom told me not to get too close. I stayed about a foot away from the pond at first, but then I saw that thing move again, so I leaned closer. I guess my mom and Luke had looked away for a second, but that's all it took. I fell in, and I didn't know how to swim. I think my foot may have gotten caught in something too, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I thought I was going to die. I couldn't get back to the surface. I started to black out, and then Luke pulled me out." I pause to take a shaky breath. "Luke saved my life. Luke saved my life, and now he wants to adopt me." I close my eyes and take another breath. "I guess what I'm trying to tell you is, Luke isn't my family by blood, but he's still family. Just like the Lightwoods are your family."

Just then the door to the bathroom bursts open and a bunch of paramedics come rushing in with a stretcher. I stand up on shaky legs to give them room to do with Jace what they need. I stand quietly in the corner of the bathroom as they move him onto the stretcher. I follow them as they rushed him out, through the lobby and out the front door. I know how this works; they let one person ride in the ambulance, and that is going to be me. Not that anyone else is around to argue with me.

I suddenly remember Simon and Izzy in the movies. I know they won't answer if I call, so I decide to text Izzy. At least she'll see it when they get out and know to go to the hospital.

Once we're all settled into the ambulance it speeds off with it's sirens blaring. They have Jace hooked up to one of those oxygen mask things, and it scares me. I hold onto his hand and focus all my attention on it. The paramedic next to me pulls me back into reality shortly though. "What happened?" he asks.

I swallow nervously. "We were watching a movie, and then he, like, tensed up all the sudden. I tried to ask what was wrong, but he just jumped up and ran out. I followed him and saw him go into the bathroom. I started pounding on the door to try to get him to talk to me, because I was really worried. When he didn't answer after a few minutes, I just went in and found him lying on the floor." I swallow back the lump in my throat. "Unconscious."

The paramedic nods along to what I'm saying. "You were watching a movie, you said?"

I nod. "Yeah. He was fine for the first like fifteen minutes."

The paramedics brow furrows. "Was there anything…different going on in the movie when he tensed up?"

I think about it for a minute. "The woman on the screen was about to commit suicide."

The paramedic looks away from me to focus his attention on Jace. "Interesting," he mumbles.

I tug nervously on my hair, trying to get some of the knots out. "What's wrong with him?" I ask in a quiet voice.

The paramedic looks to me with a rueful half-smile on his face. "Nothing. He just passed out, it seems. There's no signs of physical injury, but we won't know for sure until we get him to the hospital."

For some reason, his lack of knowledge for Jace's situation made me feel worse as apposed to better.

* * *

It takes an hour for Jace to wake up. An hour. In that hour, the doctors run all kinds of tests and inspections. They find nothing-it seems he merely passed out.

In that hour, countless nurses and doctors assure me that he will be just fine. They don't help.

In that hour, Isabelle must have checked her phone, because she and Simon come rushing into the hospital, followed closely by her parents. Alec doesn't come because someone had to stay home with Max. Max doesn't like hospitals very much.

In that hour, I find out exactly what happened to Jace, but it isn't from the doctors.

The Lightwoods ask almost immediately what happened. I tell them quickly in a quiet voice. Once I finish the story, they all exchange looks that are a mixture of relief and unease.

"What?" I ask, confused and not pleased at being out of the loop.

Izzy sighs and comes over to sit next to me. "He really didn't tell you, Clary?" she asks in a soft voice.

"Tell me what?" I snap, quickly losing my patience.

She pauses briefly, clearly uncomfortable with what she has to say. "Clary, Jace gets panic attacks."

I blink. "What?"

She shift uncomfortably. "I'm not going to go into specifics because he should be the one to do that, but he gets these very, very bad panic attacks once in a while. He has very specific triggers, so we can usually avoid them, but I guess something in the movie triggered it. They're all because of something traumatic he experienced when he was young."

"What happened?" I ask in a quiet voice.

Izzy shakes her head. "I'm not telling you anything else. He should be the one to tell you. But I will say that this must have been a really bad one." She looks down the hall, as though she could see right into Jace's room. "He's usually not unconscious this long."

Izzy soon returns to her family, and they talk in hushed voices. Simon comes over to me and rubs soothing circles into my back. I don't talk to anyone. I just sit in silence and quietly stew in my own thoughts.

A small part of me is just filled with relief that I know what is wrong with Jace. The rest of me is just plain pissed. Maybe my anger is a way to avoid dealing with my fear, but I don't care. I'm just pissed.

I'm mad at Jace for keeping this from me. How could he not tell me that? That's something I should definitely know, so that we can avoid situations such as this one! God, if I had known that he was having a panic attack I could have tried to help him. And I wouldn't have been as worried. A panic attack isn't good, but it's better than a collapsed lung or something.

Not all of my anger is directed at Jace. Part of me is mad at this unknown force that caused said traumatic incident that made him have this problem. Thinking about little, innocent Jace going through something awful makes me feel sick.

The smallest faction of my anger is directed toward myself. My boyfriend is in a hospital bed, for God's sake, and I'm mad at him!

A nurse walks over to us about forty minutes after Izzy tells me about Jace's problem and says that he's woken up and we can visit him if we'd like. Robert, Maryse and Isabelle all go in first, leaving Simon and I alone in the waiting room.

They're gone for about ten minutes, and Simon and I spend that time in silence. He keeps a comforting hand on my back. He really is a great friend.

The Lightwoods come back out and approach us. Robert and Maryse say that they're going home so Alec can come visit. I guess the fact that this isn't the first time this has happened has made them a little more calm about it. They leave and Izzy walks up to me. "He wants to see you," she says.

I nod and stand up. Izzy doesn't hesitate to take my vacant seat next to Simon.

I turn and walk down the hall toward his room, remembering the number from when the nurse had first come over to us. I stand outside room 1130 and take a deep breath. I push open his half open door and step inside. The room is simple and looks just like any other hospital room.

I close the door behind me and turn toward Jace. He's sitting up in bed, looking slightly pale but fine nonetheless. He isn't even attached to any tubes or anything. I don't move to come closer to him. I simply stand unmoving in front of the door, locking eyes with Jace.

"Isabelle told you," he says. I nod. He runs a hand over his face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Clary, but before you lecture me about it, please let me explain. I'll tell you the whole story."

I continue standing there for a minute, letting his words sink in. Finally, I wordlessly walk over to his bedside and sit in the chair next to him.

He fiddles with his hands for a moment or two before launching into his story with no apparent warning. "My parents died when I was ten years old. They always got along perfectly-they never fought or anything. My mother was a bit unstable though. She was just over emotional about things. She'd cry if I killed a fly." He shakes his head with a sad smile playing at his lips. He takes a deep breath before continuing. "One day, my father and I were in the living room, just watching TV. My mom was in the kitchen, making dinner I think. She walked in, and she was crying. She told me to go upstairs. I didn't want to, but I was scared because she was holding a gun." He squeezes his eyes shut and visibly swallows. "I ran upstairs, but I stopped at the landing where I could stay hidden and still see what was going on. I remember my dad had his hands up. He was whispering things to my mom, probably trying to calm her down, but she just kept crying and shaking her head. Then she closed her eyes, lifted the gun and shot my father in the head. She let out one awful sob and then turned the gun on herself. And I watched it all."

We're both silent for a long time-what do you say after that? Jace just sits there with his head tipped back and his eyes squeezed shut. I grab his hand and he grips mine back with a ferocity that causes pain, but I wouldn't dare complain.

With one final deep breath, he opens his eyes and turns back to me. "That's what causes my panic attacks. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to look at me the way you are right now."

"How am I looking at you right now?" I ask quietly.

Jace smiles sadly. "With pity."

I drop my gaze to our entwined hands. "Oh."

Jace sighs. "I don't want pity. I hate pity."

I wipe all emotions off my face and look back up at him. "Fine. I won't pity you."

Jace smiles a little and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "I don't think that's how it works, but I appreciate the effort."

I fix my eyes on his. "I mean it," I say sternly. "I won't pity you."

"Clary-"

"At least, I'll try. But you have to promise you won't keep things from me anymore. Okay?"

Jace isn't smiling anymore. He reaches up and pulls me to him. I wrap my arms tightly around him as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. "I promise, Clary, I promise," he whispers against my neck. I hold him even tighter.

* * *

**Hopefully this makes up for the awful chapter I left you with last time! So, I have this lovely idea! This story is almost at 100 favorites-woohoo!-and is semi-close to 300 reviews and 200 follows. If you guys can round all three of those up to the nearest hundred (or above) then I will take the most popular request for a oneshot, or chapter in this story or something of the like. Does that sound cool to you guys? I just want to thank you guys for your continued support and patience with me throughout this story. Oh, and if you favorite/follow this just to get the numbers up, then immediately undo it, that so does not count because it would hurt my feelings :( Anyway, leave your ideas in the reviews and if you guys reach your goal I will write them all out in the beginning of the next chapter and have you guys vote!**

**Just a friendly reminder to any VA fans reading this: follow the link on my profile to help make Frostbite a movie! Pretty please with a cherry on top?**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'M SO SORRY! I know it's been longer than the normal amount of time between my updates, but I've been really busy lately! I'm sorry! Plus, I wanted to make sure this chapter was a good one, and I think it is (even though it's short! :/ ) You see, after this chapter I'm only planning on two more chapters, one of which being the epilogue. So, I want to make sure I take the time to write these chapters well because it all needs to come together! Speaking of which, I write these right before I update, so there is a time gap between when I write chapters. Because of that, I forget some things. If you have any questions that are not answered, please leave them in the reviews and I will try my best to answer them in the next chapter or two. Speak now or forever hold your peace!**

**Disclaimer: Me owning The Mortal Instruments? ****_Pshhh_**** In my dreams!**

**Chapter 22:**

Jace doesn't have to stay in the hospital very long-they only want to keep him overnight for observation. I guess they want to make sure it was only a panic attack and not a serious lung condition or something.

Jace tries to act tough, but it's clear he doesn't want to be alone. Alec and Isabelle both have to go home for whatever reason. I offer to stay with him for the night. Although they seem relieved by my offer, they are also clearly hesitant-how would their parents feel about leaving their son alone all night with his girlfriend? I think the hopeful look on Jace's face is what pushes them over the edge and makes them agree that I should stay with him.

As soon as they leave I step into the hallway to call my mom. I'm sure she's worried by now-the movie ended almost three hours ago. She picks up on the first ring. "Clary?" Her voice is worried, but it is clear she is trying hard to make it sound calm.

I take a deep breath. "Before you lecture me, let me explain. First of all, I'm fine and safe. Second…" I take another deep breath and launch into the story of my night. She stays quiet through the whole thing. I don't know if I should find that reassuring or worrying. When I add hesitantly that I offered to stay with Jace, I expect her to berate me. She doesn't.

"Oh, honey. I'm so proud of you. You were so brave." I don't told her exactly what triggered Jace's panic attack, and luckily she doesn't ask. It's not my private life to broadcast, and it's obvious Jace likes to keep that part of his life fairly secret. "Of course you can stay with him. I would never make you leave that boy alone now."

Relied washes over me like a gentle wave on a hot summer day.. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, honey. Now, try to get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you too."

I snap my phone shut and slip back into Jace's room. He turns away from the TV at the sound and grins when he see's that it's me. "Hey."

I walk over to the chair next to him and plop down in it. "Hi."

Jace frowns and brushes a stray hair out of my face. "You look exhausted." I shrug, which only makes Jace look more worried. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'm kind of wired, which makes sense since I took an hour nap not long ago."

I laugh without much humor. "I'm fine. I'll sleep later."

Jace continues to study my face for a moment before he scoots over in his bed. He looks at me expectantly. When a minute passes and I don't move, he rolls his eyes. "Come here," he says as he pats the spot next to him.

I cast an anxious look at the door, thinking about how embarrassing it would be if a nurse walked in while we were laying in the same bed. "I don't know…"

Jace scoffs. "They won't come check on me unless something starts beeping and something goes wrong. I'm only here for observation. Come here."

I throw one more nervous glance at the door then crawl onto the bed next to him. He immediately throws his arm over my shoulders and tugs me closer to him. I lay my head on his chest and breath him in. Laying with him now, I'm finally realizing how truly scared I was when he was unconscious. I can't lose Jace-Jace is my whole world. I would die before I lost Jace. I turn my head up so I can look at him. He looks down at me as best he can and a slow, content grin spreads across his lips. "Jace?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

Jace full on smiles and brushes his lips across my forehead. It's a ghost of a kiss really, but it sends shivers down my spine nonetheless. "I love you too," he murmurs.

Happy I got that off my chest I snuggle back into him. I try to watch what's on the TV, but I don't find it interesting. Soon I find my eyelids drooping. Eventually it gets too hard to open them back up, so I quit trying. I drift off to sleep peacefully.

I dream that Jace didn't wake up. He didn't have a panic attack-he had a stroke. I called nine-one-one, but it was too late. In my dream, I hold his lifeless body in my lap and I sob over it. It's heartbreaking and it's an awful form of torture.

I jerk awake and feel a moment of panic when I see that I'm in a hospital. As my mind clears, and I realize that my dream wasn't real, my panic subsides. The room is dark aside from the faint glow coming from the television. It isn't a lot of light, but it's enough to see Jace watching me worriedly. "Bad dream?" he murmurs in his golden honey voice.

I ignore his question and rub my eyes. "What time is it?" I say in a hoarse voice.

Jace shrugs. "Like, two."

I sit up a little. "Have you been up this whole time?"

Jace shrugs again and turns his attention back to the TV. "I didn't want to deal with the nightmares."

I sigh and sit up the rest of the way. "Jace." He doesn't look at me. "_Jace_," I repeat more sternly. He looks at me this time. "Go to sleep, okay? I'll be right here. I won't let the nightmares get you." Jace starts to shake his head, but stops when I grab his shoulder. "I promise."

Jace takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his already messy hair. "Okay," he whispers. He sinks lower in the bed and gently lays his head on my stomach. "You're too skinny to make a comfy pillow," he mumbles.

I laugh and stroke his hair. His eyelids flutter closed and he sighs. Within minutes he's breathing evens out from peaceful sleep.

**So! Like I said, leave all questions in the reviews, and of course normal reviews are more than welcome! ;) I don't know if you guys saw it last time, but the offer is still on the table! If you guys get the reviews up to 300 and the follows up to 200 by the next time I update (which will probably be in about a week) then I will post a oneshot of your choosing! It can be about this story, or anything else you can imagine! Leave your ideas in the reviews and if we reach our goal I will organize them so you guys can vote on them! If this is a stupid idea, I'm sorry. No one even acknowledged it after the last chapter which made me kind of sad... :( Please don't make me sad!**

**Love Always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


	23. Epilogue

**Guys, I am SO sorry that this has taken me so long! I've been super busy and I just wanted to make sure that I gave you guys the best possible ending!**

**I can't believe this story is over! I love this Jace! I don't want to let him go :( But, all good things must come to an end. Now, I want to thank you all from the very bottom of my heart for your endless support! You've all been so loyal (even when I didn't deserve it) and I am so glad that I got to go through this new and interesting journey with all of you. So, THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Epilogue:**

"Jace, you have to bring it with you."

Jace rolls his eyes at me. "Yeah, because there's definitely going to be a suicide attempt at your mom's wedding."

I swat his arm. "That isn't funny! Look, I know it's annoying to carry your medicine with you, but it's better to be safe than sorry." I walk up to him and wrap my arms around him. "Besides, I'm not chasing your ass into a men's room again," I add in an attempt to lighten the mood.

I feel Jace's chest rumble beneath me with laughter. "Fine. I'll bring them. Now, you should get to the church." He pulls back enough to look me in the eye. "I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Okay?"

I nod. "Don't be late. I don't think I'll be able to hold in my laughter if I see you sneaking into the church."

Jace smirks at me. "Yes, Mom." He leans down and pecks my lips. "You look beautiful by the way."

I smile broadly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Clary."

I call a goodbye to Maryse and Robert, who are sitting in the kitchen, before I walk out the door. Last I checked they were trying to get Max to eat, but failing because he was way too excited for the wedding to sit down.

Simon is waiting by the car when I close the heavy doors behind me. We had wanted to stop by on the way to the church and say hi to the Lightwoods. When Simon had gone up to say hello to Isabelle she immediately kicked him out, yelling something about privacy and a "grand entrance." I'm still chuckling over it.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

I nod and Simon opens the passenger door for me. We figured it would be best if he drove, since I have serious problems driving in heels. Once we're both in the car I turn toward Simon. "Is it bad that I'm nervous?"

Simon shoots me a curious look. "You're not nervous about having Luke as your step-father, are you?"

"No!" I exclaim. "Luke is already my father, as far as I'm concerned. I'm mostly nervous that I'll trip walking up the aisle or something."

Simon lets out a harsh laugh. "Don't worry, Clary. If you do, I'll be sure to lead the whole church in a loud chorus of laughter."

I pinch Simon on the bicep which quickly wipes the grin off his face. "That's not helpful!" I hiss.

Simon rolls his eyes. "I'm just kidding, jeez. You'll be fine, Clary. Seriously."

Simon's right-I don't trip or stumble in the least. The whole ceremony is beautiful and, I'm not afraid to admit, I even cry a bit. My mom looks beautiful and anyone with eyes can see the love that her and Luke share, because it's written all over their faces.

The reception hall is beautiful as well, decorated in gorgeous white roses and vines. I find a table to the side and sit down. My feet are killing me from these stupid heels. I just want to sit down for the rest of the night.

"Don't tell me you aren't going to dance."

I tilt my head back and smile up at Jace. He's got this adorable little pout on his face and even has his arms crossed. "Nope. If I try to dance in these shoes, my feet will fall off. You don't want that, do you?"

Jace rolls his eyes. "Just take them off."

I look around in mock horror. "And dance barefoot?! Um, no thanks. That's a little too unsanitary for me."

Jace sighs dramatically. "Take them off. You won't touch the filthy floor, I promise."

I give him a skeptical look, but bend down to take my shoes off nonetheless. I slide them under my chair, but stay sitting with my feet above the ground.

Jace bends down so he's level with me. "Wrap your arms around my neck." I give him a funny look. "Please?" I slowly wrap my arms around my neck. He gives me a devilish smirk. "Hold on tight."

"Why-" Before I can finish my sentence, Jace lifts me off my feet. I give a little squeal of surprise, but Jace quickly lowers me down so that I'm standing on his feet. I keep my arms wrapped around his neck and he tightly wraps his arms around my waist.

"How's this?" Jace smiles down at me.

"Embarrassing," I mutter. I blush as I look around to see a few people staring at us.

"Oh, Clary. I hate to break it to you, but everyone staring at us is thinking that we're pretty damn adorable."

I shake my head. "It looks like you're my dad!"

Jace stares at me wide-eyed. "You think of me as your father? Clary, you have some messed up ideas about family…"

I swat him in the back of the head. "Shut up!"

Jace laughs and bends down to kiss my head. "You're so easy to get going."

I smile. My response is cut off by someone tapping Jace on the shoulder. It's Luke. "May I cut in?" he asks.

Jace gives Luke a toothy grin. "Of course." Somehow, Jace manages to maneuver me so that I'm off of his feet and onto Luke's without ever touching the floor. Jace bows gallantly and goes off to talk to Magnus and Alec, who are sitting at a table in the corner.

"Are you having fun?" Luke asks.

"Yes. Everything is wonderful."

Luke nods and looks at something over my shoulder. We dance in silence for a few moments, but eventually Luke breaks it. "You love him."

I realize that he's been watching Jace. I glance over my shoulder to see Jace watching us. He winks at me. I turn back toward Luke, unable to help the goofy grin on my face. "Yeah, I love him."

Luke smiles a little. "And he loves you."

I can feel myself blush. "I believe so."

Luke smiles at me, but I can see that his eyes are serious. "What will you do when you both go off to college?"

I shrug. "We've talked about it a little, and his number one choice is Vanderbilt. I'm a bit more flexible, so I might just go to a small college in Tennessee. But, we decided that if something else comes up, and we have to go to colleges really far away, we'll make it work. Somehow we will. We love each other too much to let this go."

Luke nods. "That sounds very mature. I'm proud of you two." We dance in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Luke speaks again. "Look, Clary, I know I can never truly be your father."

"That's-" Luke cuts me off with a shake of his head.

"Let me finish. I can't be your biological father-I think you're old enough to realize that that isn't how it works. But, I can be your father in other ways. I want you to understand that if Jace ever hurts you-emotionally or physically-you can come to me. I won't even have to tell your mom. But you can come to me, and I'll kick his ass into next week."

I laugh softly and hug Luke tighter. "Thank you. It means a lot to know that you're there for me like that. I've never really known what it's like to have a biological father, but I do know what it's like to have a loving dad. So thank you. Really."

Luke smiles, obviously embarrassed and slightly uncomfortable with the praise. "Now, I'll give you back to your kind boyfriend, so I can get back to my beautiful wife."

I grin at Luke. "I like hearing you say that."

Luke grins back. "I like saying it."

I shriek when I'm suddenly lifted off the ground and being carried away from Luke. "Jace!"

I feel his chest rumble with laughter. "Magnus wanted to see you!"

I grumble. "That wasn't very nice."

Jace shrugs, which I find very impressive considering he's carrying me. "I'm not very nice."

Jace sits down in a chair and sets me on his lap. "Jace!" I hiss, flushing in embarrassment.

"Clary, darling," Magnus interjects. "When are you going to learn that at weddings, all displays of affection are adorable, not sickening?"

I turn toward Magnus and give him a dirty look. "Don't encourage him," I sneer.

Jace starts snickering, but I cut him off with a jab to his ribs. "_Oof_," he grunts. "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm not very nice," I mock.

"That's enough bickering you two," Magnus says. I turn back toward him. He looks very relaxed-his lips quirked up in a half smile, his arm slung casually over the back of Alec's chair. "Clary, I wanted to ask you a very serious question: where did your mother get her dress?"

"Um…I have no idea."

Magnus sighs and throws his hands up in exasperation. "You're no use. I'll just have to go ask your mother."

Magnus jerks upright, throwing his chair back in the process. He storms away in the direction of my mom. "Magnus!" Alec chides as he chases after him.

I turn my head so I'm facing Jace. "They're cute."

Jace wrinkles his nose in false disgust. "No, they are odd. _You're_ cute."

I ignore the blush that creeps onto my cheeks at his words. "What do you want?"

Jace quirks an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?"

"You're being super nice to me. You must want something."

Jace laughs, a sound so happy and genuine I can't help but believe his next words. "Why do I have to want something to be nice to you? I'm just really happy with you. Especially tonight."

I lean up and kiss his chin-I can't reach any higher up-then turn back around and snuggle deeper into him. As I scan the dance floor with Jace resting his chin on my head, I can't help but realize that I agree with Jace. I don't think I've ever been happier than I am right now. My mom is standing in the middle of the dance floor, Luke with an arm thrown over her shoulders. Magnus is talking her ear off and Alec looks thoroughly humiliated. Simon and Isabelle are dancing together in a quiet corner of the dance floor. They aren't speaking, but anyone can see the pure joy on both their faces. Maryse and Robert are sitting at a table with Max, who looks exhausted. I'm sure he's fighting hard to hide it though because he doesn't want to miss any of the action.

Looking around at this crazy mixture of people, one words sticks out to me: _family_. They may be imperfect, and they have flaws, but I wouldn't-couldn't-trade them for anything. I love each and every one of them more than anything in the world.

Besides, crazy family makes for the best holidays.

**The End**

**Once again, thank you all for your endless support and encouragement. I can't express how much it means to me! This story may be over, but that doesn't mean I will never come back to it! If I'm feeling bored one day, perhaps I will post a chapter in Jace's POV. And that Max POV is still on the table. Plus, I will soon be starting a story continueing off of "Jace Herondale as a Child." So, please check out my other work and be on the look out for more!**

**Love always,**

**YesIWriteForFun**


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